Band:	Svdestada
Album:	Candela
Style:	Crust punk, Post hardcore, Post-metal
Release date:	January 2024

01. Nudo
02. Cierzo
03. Amargor
04. Efímero
05. Hilonegro
06. Sinvivir
07. Candela

Released in the middle of the northern hemisphere’s winter, Svdestada’s third album is a potent mix of genres that will set fire to your soul.

Black metal, crust punk and (post-)hardcore: that’s a combo I was desperately addicted to when it became popular over a decade ago (you are slowly getting old, Rod), and to this day, it is still a formula I find extremely easy to enjoy. It is a fitting mix, given black metal’s punky origins. Everything Went Black, Hexis, The Phantom Carriage and Celeste are some of my personal favorites, and the last of these serves as a good reference point for describing Spanish ensemble Svdestada’s third opus and discography as a whole. Both bands have an affinity for gorgeous photographs as artworks, which strike a chord in me with their violent, dark, seductive nature. The music also has some similarities: the riffs are both caustic and powerful, while the drumming is tight and aggressive.

Even the vocals have a similar raspy, intense tone, although they also suffer from the same quality as Celeste in that they can be too in-your-face; the agonizing screams can become so prominent that sometimes I wish the instrumentals would have more time to shine by themselves, so the listener could truly appreciate the impressive songwriting at work. This is only a very minor gripe that I have with Svdestada, mind you, as the performances of all members, vocalist included, are top-notch in both savagery and quality. A quality that was noticed by my fellow staff members as well, due to the band’s nomination in the Metal Storm awards back in 2021 for their sophomore album, Azabache.

All that being said, Svdestada doesn’t take too much from Celeste’s blueprints. While the French group puts more focus on the density of sludge and post-metal, Svdestada presents an intense sound closer to black metal and hardcore. This is more noticeable in the drumming, which shifts constantly between blastbeats and classic D-beat passages, while still knowing when to slow things down for the more atmospheric slow-burners. And damn, does Svdestada know how to build up their songs to fiery crescendos; just marvel at the incredible endings of tracks like “Cierzo” and “Efímero”, as both passion and pain are used to astounding effect. However, it’s the closing title-track that truly impressed me; at almost 12 minutes, it is three times longer than the average track on the rest of the album, and it has riffs for days, each more intense than the last.

Svdestada succeeded in standing out among their peers, and Candela is undoubtedly their best album to date. This is fierce music that carries both rage and melancholia in its DNA. It is one of the highlights of the year so far, so don’t miss out!

"I need to love again the days that are yet to come,
To feel the muses dragging me out,
To find the flame that drives away the doubts, and start anew."