Swarn – Black Flame Order CD

“The debut release from extreme metal purveyors Swarn, Black Flame Order is a surprisingly eclectic concoction of styles and genres, a mind-boggling alloy that lies at the intersection of blackened death metal, crust, d-beat, and even doom. With a venomous aural texture throughout, the group charges through ten tracks of serpentine ferocity at fluctuating tempos, ranging from breakneck speed metal tremolo to dirge-like doom breakdowns. With Black Flame Order, Swarn triumphantly blend this variance into a singular, sacrilegiously potent mix, demonstrating an incredible sense of mastery rare in up-and-coming bands.”
– Invisible Oranges

“Do the names Asphyx, Disfear, and Wolfbrigade get your motor running? If so, the odds are excellent that you’ll get into the music of Swarn, which operates at an intersection of d-beat, crust, death metal, and death/doom. ”
– No Clean Singing

” SWARN are an Estonian death-crust band with some black metal influences who’d gained some quick hype after their self-titled tape from 2017. This is a tricky one because they are primarily a death metal band but most all song structures and drumming come from a d-beat sort of mindset. ‘Black Flame Order’ is a grower and it’ll take a few songs to really show what is unique about Swarn in this context, which I’d say is their use of atmosphere in between bouts of d-beaten death. In interviews they’re pretty open about what death metal inspires them from the old Swedish stuff to the new bands like Pyre today, but this should be evident upon firing this very Svenska sounding punch of death. So, for as rote of a first impression as ‘Black Flame Order’ makes once you’re about wrist deep in the record you’ll undoubtedly see they’re coming with plenty of their own ideas most of which are compelling. I’m not in love with the guitar tone as it sounds uniform and digital in a way that doesn’t enhance the riffs themselves much, it does however offer a nice contrast to the ‘atmospheric’ leads and sections where Swarn trail off into space. Death metal very rarely caters to a patient fandom but if you’re the type to give something a chance despite some ‘typical’ attributes this is real beast of an album.”
– Grizzly Butts

” SWARN’s debut, Black Flame Order, incorporates pre-existing genre staples in a unique blend of Dismember-style, hardcore influenced death metal, plenty of driving, crusty rhythms, black metal tremelo leads, and a willingness to fluctuate with tempos bordering from thrashy upbeats to doom-laden breakdowns. What results is a concoction that goes down just as easy as Manny’s reliable handle of Old Grandad bourbon.”
– Lastrit.es

” “Black Flame Order” is dark, destructive, dreadful. It is straightforward and uncompromising in its destruction and hypnotizing and cold in its dreadful atmosphere. This is an omnipotent combination which clearly bringing the pleasure and the ruination.”
– Blessed Altar Zine

“Where crust, d-beat, death metal, elements of doom and black metal meet, you will find the entity known as Swarn. With their newest offering titled Black Flame Order, you are to find ten tracks of sinister, flesh ripping metal. In a pure blood boiling onslaught, Swarn sew each aforementioned genre together to create a cohesive amalgamation of destructive noise. Never does Swarn relent in their ferocious assault as they march from track to track leaving earth scorched and destruction in their wake. Dark, sinister and ever twisting, each of the ten offerings harbored within this title drag you in to their devilish and ever darkening soundscapes never for you to be released. From beginning to end, Black Flame Order offers up one track after the next of blasphemous and venomous death.”
– Cadaver Garden
All songs performed and summoned by SWARN
All lyrics – Anti Lillak, except for track 10 –
Tiit Pähnapuu & Anti Lillak
Recorded at: Pergerus and Northern Terror Studios
By Tiit Pähnapuu (Tartu, Estonia) 2018/2019
Mixed and mastered at Northern Terror Studios.