A band that is named after the northernmost point of Europe, the archipelago of Svalbard north of the Norwegian coast, far beyond the Polar Circle – what else might this band play but ice cold Black Metal? Well, that is too obvious, isn’t it? The British SVALBARD we have here are not a Black Metal band, but a band based in Crust Punk, respectively in that fairly new subgenre called Neo Crust. But let’s take a look at the band’s history first. SVALBARD, not to be confused with a Canadian outfit of that name, already have some releases up their sleeve since their formation in 2011. Mainly these are so called “small stuff”, three EPs and a split release. “One Day All This Will End” marks their first full length album. And this album packs a punch. Crust Punk is the base of the eight original songs on the album. Yet, the Brits blended this kind of music with lots of ideas from Shoegaze, Blackgaze and Post Punk. A kind of harmonic dissonance is as much a stylistic trademark of the band as calming parts with a disturbing atmosphere. Screaming vocals are contrasted by whispering, furious outbreaks of anger meet moments of cold and desolate despair. This mix captivates, grips at emotions long lost and buried in one moment, unleashes anger in the other. In case you dig bands like FALL OF EFRAFA or TRAGEDY, you’re welcome to check out SVALBARD, since the Brits take the best of these two bands to create great music of their own. As a kind of allude, I suggest listening to the furious opener ‘Perspective’ or the overwhelming ‘Unrequited’ or the either fantastic, yet disturbing ‘Unnatural Light’. Now Bloodsoaked Records have released “One Day All This Will End” as a limited tape edition of 100 copies that features a bonus song as well. ‘This Is The End’, originally on “…In Blood” from Sweden’s old hands VICTIMS, fits well here, despite the fact that it is a pure Crust tune. If you want to find out more, visit the band at www.facebook.com/svalbarduk or http://svalbard.bandcamp.com, or the label responsible for the tape edition at http://bloodsoakedrecords.bandcamp.com