Right along with Conjurer, Employed To Serve, Venom Prison, and Boss Keloid (among dozens of others), Bristolian post-hardcore group Svalbard are really breaking down barriers on their sophomore record, It’s Hard To Have Hope. The band effortlessly ticks off many of the boxes that others in their genre do – influences of post-metal, post-hardcore, black metal, hardcore, and screamo all lie in their sound – but one listen to this record and you’ll find Svalbard has plenty to say – and then some.
Lyrically Svalbard is a bit different, bringing to light issues of sexual assault and animal rights in a way that makes the listener think instead of beating them over the head with it. Essentially, like others have put it, this record is more or less protest music set to an engaging and exciting hardcore sound. A diverse one, at that.
While one could say Svalbard operate in a hardcore framework, there’s plenty more to grasp here, genre-wise. Frontwoman Serena Cherry roars in a way that is both cathartic and emotional, without sounding overwrought. Her voice provides the soul of the album, and it’s the instrumentation that’s the spine of the album, with an atmospheric post-black metal backdrop that might sound familiar to the Rolo Tomassi and Deafheaven fans out there, or even Pelican for the old guard.
What Svalbard are doing is quite special indeed. Intelligently speaking out on current issues is tough to do in general, but Svalbard makes it look rather simple, especially since they depict what are often deeply personal experiences. This is a serious high-tier AOTY candidate when all is said and done – they have something to say, clearly – and say it loud, they will.
