elephant's graveyard: lifelover

DANIELLE GORE
13 hours ago
3 min read

⊹ ˚₊ ♪ ˚₊‧꧁ 𓆩༺ 𝄞 ༻𓆪 ꧂‧₊˚♪ ₊˚⊹

Welcome

Hello all, and welcome back to the Elephant's Graveyard, :) I hope you're all doing well. I recently got back into Lifelover and re-listened to their entire discography. I couldn't help but want to write about it, as they're a relatively recognizable band in the depressive black metal/rock/ambient genre, and I've been meaning to write about this genre of music I adore for a very long time.

Lifelover is a Stockholm-based depressive black metal & ambient (DBM/A) project formed in 2005 by Jonas "B" Bergqvist and Kim "( )" Carlsson. Over the span of six years, Lifelover released four full-length albums until the unexpected passing of B due to an accidental drug overdose.

Lifelover was a hugely influential piece in the DSBM and "blackgaze" scene, breaking the recurring wall of sound that is often heard in DSBM music. They actively worked with various instruments to curate a uniquely distinct sound, inspiring modern DSBM artists to expand beyond excessive screaming and drum slamming, and to begin incorporating more instruments, such as the piano.

Each album, I feel, has a unique sound. I think it's quite lovely to hear the progression in their music careers. With every album, you can get something more from each sector of their genre, and they have many intricately intentional samples that add to the layered listening experience. I cannot get over the screaming, crying-tear ridden vocals, and the ability to switch from intensely loud, shrieking, and desperate to cold, quiet, and lonesome. My consistent gripe with many extreme genres is the repetitive screaming, themed lyrics, and clichés. Lifelover feels so mentally stimulating to listen to, and they give a full experience with every song they release. Their album Pulver delves into themes of childhood, perversity, misery, and cynicism. As much as I am obsessed with Pulver, the album released two years later, Konkurs (2008), was MIND-BLOWING. This is really where they matured as a band and refined their craft. This is where I can see more blackgaze trail-blazing, and the work of the discordant pianos, the shrieking, uncomfortable vocals, and cold ambiance transports me to a whole other mindset.

Depending on what you tend to enjoy more sonically will impact what album you should get into first, I overall would recommend Konkurs to be the first album, since at least within mine and the large majority of people typically agree it's their strongest work, but for those who are into more death metal, and hardcore, and post-punk, I'd recommend checking out their EP Dekadens "Decadence" (2009) and Sjukdom "Disease" 2011). For those who prefer more mature themes, Pulver "Powder" (2006) and Erotik "Erotic" (2009). Erotik takes the cake when it comes to the disturbing sound they've curated, and they don't have to use scary buzzwords to get their point across; in fact, the clear vocals and talking in ways will make it more disturbing, and it feels more psychologically thrilling.

When reviewing old albums from their initial release, many people were surprised and pleased that they had pushed out creative projects rather than repeating the same sound that other bands had been using for years.

So now onto the fun part!! Rating the albums--Including the EP--and what songs I'd recommend for those wanting to get into Lifelover!! 1 - Erotik (2009) I Love (To Hurt) You, En Man I Sina Sämsta år (A Man In His Worst Years), Välkommen till Pulvercity (Welcome to Pulvercity)

2- Konkurs (2008)

Narcotic Devotion, Konvulsion (Convulsion), Twitch, Mental Central Dialog, Cancertid