Tvær's "II" Emerges From the Woodlands (Early Track Stream)

March 3, 2021

From the snowy Minnesotan North emerges atmospheric black metal band Tvær. I’d first heard of them a few years ago, but, unfortunately, their debut EP got lost in the miasma of new releases and band announcements. This was an unfortunate mistake, as their upcoming record Uvær is an absolute monolith of “classic” style USBM, but with the band’s own twist.

Of course, when I say “classic,” I suppose that warrants an explanation. Though black metal in the United States has been well-defined since the early ’90s, from a critical standpoint black metal didn’t really hit the public eye here in the States until the 2000s in that weird sort of post-Weakling era (though Weakling never saw any sort of non-local fame during their tenure as an active band) when becoming more atmospheric and adventurous was the norm.

To clarify, Tvær doesn’t sound like Weakling, but they share a similar sort of progressive spirit, and the band’s debut Uvær‘s folk melody-infused sounds are reminiscent of the bouncier, almost happier “Polish sound” fed through a distinctly morose, American filter. What is especially interesting concerning Tvær’s sound is the lack of frills; it’s all riffs, though they play the long game.

Lacking the post-rock and filler which is generally left in a post-Weakling world (even though the primary source material lacked any of that to begin with), Tvær’s ripping, emotive feels like something otherworldly more than sounds like another band. Let Uvær‘s numerically-titled second track whisk you away in snowy, forested atmospheres in an exclusive pre-release stream below.

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