Album Review: Det Eviga Leendet – Lenience (Amor Fati Productions)

Formed in 2015, Det Eviga Leendet is a gathering of individuals from scattered parts of Sweden now based in Uppsala and Stockholm. Although a discordant group of people, the foundation of the band stem from a collective will to explore concepts of expansive insular gloom. Aptly, the group has taken their name from Pär Lagerkvist’s 1920 writing about a large group of dead people who are stuck in the dark with nothing to do besides talk in order to pass eternity.

The debut album “Lenience” was released by American label Fallen Empire Records in the winter of 2018 and is a bleak display of harsh and atmospheric metal, a manifest of total and unending descent. Six songs – a six paned mirror that has evolved out of years of lavish ignorance. Hopeless desperation gives way to emboldened cooperation with the adversary.

On May 24th 2019, Lenience will be re-released by Amor Fati Productions. Dragged out of the gloom into bright sunlight.

Laying the bleak and black atmospheric metal on thickly from the start, the ringing noise of O is more of an introduction to what Lenience is going to sound like as a whole, sans the vocals. Those make an appearance on the next track, Ingest. Here, Det Eviga Leendet show what side their metal butter is spread on and it’s the dark side.

Atmospheric effects with indiscernible drumming, fast guitar rhythm and howling vocals sets this squarely on the side of black metal. Especially when we get drops into haunting and threatening melancholy. It’s good, not great but really picks up near the end.

The issue is that we’ve heard this done before and if we’re honest, done better. That doesn’t mean there isn’t stuff to enjoy here though because there is. Repent is much better with the sombre and emotive sounding effect laid out throughout the ringing metal fuzz. Embark builds on that with the vocals taking on renewed life and reaching eye-watering levels of intensity. Stellar then plays around with the ferocity seen so far and melodic drops into peacefulness.

Finally, the noisy but enlightening album comes to a close with a title track. No major surprises here but it is the most expansive track of the bunch ending things in impressive melancholic style.

Det Eviga Leendet – Lenience Full Track Listing:

1. O
2. Ingest
3. Repent
4. Embark
5. Stellar
6. Lenience

The album can be ordered via Bandcamp and more information found via Facebook.