Before Finsterforst came out of seemingly nowhere and astounding me with their upcoming album, there was only one black/folk act that I had my eyes on that I knew was going to impress no matter what: Wormwood. They easily created my favorite record of 2017 that I still enjoy very much but it was with their follow-up that I knew this Swedish band could do so much more. After what feels like no time at all, they’ve responded to the glory of their previous work to give us a listen that tops everything they’ve done thus far by fucking miles.

If I’m to be perfectly honest with you I was really hoping Wormwood was going to double down on the folk elements as that’s really what made the previous album such a neverending treat for me. But, that’s not what was done with “Nattarvet” as, instead, Wormwood took an approach that brought together the black and folk elements together even more with one balancing the other out and seamlessly leading into one another to create this colorful sound that’s as organic as it is incredibly engaging. For the entirety of “Nattarvet”, Wormwood never once drops the ball whether it be through tremendous melodies that bleed into a glorious solo, black metal riffage that transitions into a gorgeous folk display, or storytelling that’s simply impeccable at every turn. And despite having a tracklist that’s almost half as much as its predecessor, “Nattarvet” immediately makes up for it with length as the shortest track by a minute is over five and a half minutes long to make each and every piece that Wormwood throws our way a real experience that has so much for us to sink our teeth into. No matter if you’re new to the name of Wormwood or not, wanting something that brings together folk and black metal beautifully, or simply wanting to hear what can only be described as one of the best records of the style this year is sure to deliver us then there is no way that “Nattarvet” can do you wrong in any way, shape, or form.

Quite literally every single aspect of this record is made with such careful craftsmanship and made with such high quality that I still can’t get over how stupendous “Nattarvet” even after listening to it dozens upon of times since I woke up this morning. Wormwood has risen the bar for not only themselves but the competition with every single element of this magnificent album being done with extreme precision and deadly potency to enable “Nattarvet” to become a beast of its own caliber.

LISTEN to “Nattarvet” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Wormwood on Facebook here.