Dekadens is the fourth release and the only EP by the ironically named Swedish band Lifelover. This group remains one of my favourite black metal bands, but sadly they left us too soon. The band dissolved after the accidental overdose and death of vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and lead composer Jonas "B" Bergqvist in 2011.
Lifelover played a form of depressive rock cross-bred with black metal, and displayed a wide range of influences from post punk to doom metal. Dekadens is also my favourite release by the band, as it's the only Lifelover album to feature a human drummer. All other Lifelover albums used a very minimal sounding drum machine that was often very low in the mix; whereas the live drumming on Dekadens very quickly becomes a focal point of every song. The result is something that sounds like the inconceivable lovechild of Nirvana, Shining (the one from Sweden) and Mayhem. Not only are the drums now given life, the rhythms on these 7 songs are much more animated and complex than anything Lifelover had previously recorded. For example, the confoundedly named Lethargy is the albums most energetic song, at times sounding almost high-spirited (if not for B's waling and insane screeches), thanks in part to the springing rhythm of the drum kit.
The band also beefed up the distortion on their guitars for this release, typically Lifelover's guitars have a tone that's much more suited to depressive rock than black metal (on albums like Erotik and Konkurs). But for the first time in their discography, Lifelover sound really heavy, without sacrificing those goth rock, grunge and post punk influences which are still prevalent in the absolutely haunting melodies that seemed to be Lifelover's strong suit.
The reason why Dekadens is one of my favourite black metal albums is because its approach to the genre is so unique and so refreshing. Its like the band combined my love for grunge, post punk and black metal into one amazing album. This is not to say that Dekadens is an easy listen, like I'm listening to some Foo Fighters or something. The band packed a ton of emotion into every one of their songs, and they were always super depressing, especially on albums featuring that minimalistic drum machine. But because of the strange direction that Lifelover took with this EP, I can listen to this the same way I would with something like a Touche Amore album, which can also be depressing, but in a more introspective kind of way than simply all doom & gloom.
Check out the link above to hear Luguber Framtid, one of the best songs on Dekadens in my opinion. And if You like it, check out the rest of the material from this criminally underrated band.
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