Grafvitnir - Official Website


Death's Wings Widespread

Sweden Country of Origin: Sweden

Death's Wings Widespread
Send eMail
Type: Full-Length
Release Date: October 30th, 2020
Genre: Black, Melodic
1. Stim Fit
2. Stay
3. Curdled
4. Pee Spree
1. Midnattsskogens Isande Lockrop
2. Helvetesnatt
3. Death's Wings Widespread
4. In Infinitum
5. Into The Unknown
6. Det Glimrande Djupets Kall
7. Wound In Night's Flesh
8. Inner Void
9. Wings Of The Night
10. I Häxmånens Sken


Review by Carl on September 8, 2022.

If a band's lyrical themes are described as they are on Metal Archives, being bizarre sex, humour and perversions, you can be damned sure I am paying attention. Who wouldn't? So without further ado: Cretin, ladies and gentlemen!

So you're probably thinking: a handful of narratives sarcastically dealing with sexual perversion poured into four tracks clocking in under seven minutes. Gotta be grindcore, right? And yes indeed, absolutely right!! And you have to admit, what's not to like from a concept like that?

Cretin's sound clearly has its roots in the early US grindcore underground, with Repulsion and Terrorizer being the most obvious ones to mention, but Assück, Atrocity and the early works of Brutal Truth are in there too. The insane velocity, frenzied blast-beats, distorted bass and growled vocals all point to those most hallowed pioneers of US grind, but the unpolished production also has me thinking of Blasphemy's "Gods of War" album as well. The aggressive music flies by in intense fashion and combined with the deliciously perverted and twisted fairy-tales that make up the lyrics, the insanity factor is upped to 11. Among all this grinding ferocity there are some ear-shredding guitar leads that will give that last remainder of mental well-being the final push over the edge, with the vicious vocals hammering the final nail in its coffin. This is old school grindcore heaven right here!

Of course one has to have a liking for stuff of this sort. It's not hard to imagine that the more mainstream metal fan will not be taken as much as I am with Cretin and this EP. The unpolished production and equally unrefined music is simply too harsh for mass-consumption, but for those into the bands mentioned earlier, this should hit that sweet spot without fail.

After all, thus is the faith of true underground art, simple as that.

Rating: 9 out of 10

  Views

Review by Nekrist on June 28, 2025.

Grafvitnir is a Swedish duo whose most notable characteristic is their use of melodies that fellow Swedish bands like Dissection, Sacramentum, Lord Belial, and a few others established throughout the 90s. Even though Grafvitnir are not offering anything groundbreaking, they've managed to cultivate their own sound despite such prominent and obvious influences.

The most difficult part of reviewing a band like Grafvitnir would be being as objective as possible, considering that their discography hasn't seen many variations in terms of songwriting and production, to the point that many might say, "Just by listening to one of their albums, you've already heard them all." This statement wouldn't be far from the truth, because, as I mentioned earlier, their sound follows very strict parameters that can even be perceived as some sort of "stagnation."

However, none of this means their music can't be enjoyable if you're in the right mood to digest a mass of furious, practically uninterrupted blast beats, fast-paced, slashing riffs with evocative melodies, and a reptilian, acidic voice filled with hatred and misanthropy. "Death's Wings Widespread" was the album that got me hooked on this band's music, alongside with "Obeisance to a Witch Moon." The former is the one that (for me) best encapsulates the formula this Swedish duo has been repeating and polishing since their inception, boasting very memorable and catchy riffs that are also extremely fast and adrenaline-filled. A couple of my favorites are "Inner Void" and "Helvetesnatt." The vocals are one of the characteristics I enjoy most about this band. That inhuman and ferocious sound emanating from the vocal performance is sublime. This record represents one of Mr. Modrius's finest recordings. Lyrically, they explore the sinister aspects of ancient Germanic Spirituality combined with Luciferianism and traditional European Witchcraft that call for joining Odin's Wild Hunt on the way to the Witches' Coven or Samhain. The drums are excellent, but in my opinion, they have a major flaw: they lack power. They could have been a little more present in the mix and not so buried in the sonic chaos that Grafvitnir delivers. The double bass drum is practically inaudible, but the blast beats are very good-sounding after all. A little more variety in the drum performance would have been more than welcome.

It's a fairly solid and compact album. Grafvitnir is a consistent project that has achieved its goal (sometimes with better or worse results), but always remains faithful to creating dark, soulful music that satisfies them, and this is where the apparent monotony and lack of variation throughout their career lies. It may sound as if I'm being harsh and overcritical to the band, but not really. I'm simply very familiar with their music and can clearly see all the aspects worth highlighting, whether positive or negative, within my scope of appreciation.

Grafvitnir is a band I would recommend to those nostalgic for the most pulverizing and enigmatic Swedish melodic black metal. They won't be disappointed with what they find with this great band that roars from those northern latitudes that have contributed so much to the world of metal in all its breadth.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

  Views