Svarte Greiner

Norway's Erik Skodvin produced two of the most bone-chilling acoustic doom albums ever to grace the roster of Type Records, yet he naturally decided his Miasmah label was the best place for his third outing as Svarte Greiner to surface. A master of subtlety and icy tension-and-release, Skodvin wastes no time setting up a carefully wrought sonic backdrop, on top of which jarring, blood-curdling aural traps are set. Whether it's a series of pounding mallet-on-guitar thunderclaps, such as on the incredibly epic title track, or the sinister low frequency pulsing near the end of "White Noise," Skodvin's lengthy soundscapes always culminate in a grotesque sense of dread, unfolding like a scene from a slasher flick. The beauty of Black Tie lies in the moments where the storm clouds part and a flicker of sunlight peers down on these unholy sonic storyboards. It's within these rare moments of hope that Skodvin's artistic growth becomes evident.