Less is always more – review of Sylvaine’s EP “Eg Er Framand”

The label Season of Mist is not missing a single beat, publishing marvelous releases and including fantastic artists in the roster, and once again, they scored another point with the Norwegian singer and instrumentalist Sylvaine. She is about to release her first solo EP “Eg Er Framand”. You can kindly abandon all of the preconceptions, prejudices, and biases here because we must travel quite lightly.

Sylvaine‘s spectacular bright tone will be our guiding comet in our path, and we’re not going to be led astray. I am a big believer and supporter of the saying “less is more”, and this EP testifies to this spectacularly. One could argue that the usual heavy metal elements are missing, and they wouldn’t be wrong, but in my opinion, the quality of this release remains unscathed, if not enhanced. Everyone can do metal with lots of resources, but how many would still be able to do it with just their voice and a couple of instruments? Sylvaine can. And we’re all here for it.

“Eg Er Framand” is musically very cohesive, almost like a concept album, where melodies intertwine between them and it’s up to us to embrace them. With a careful listening ear then we are going to be able to unravel the skein, and the result will be forever imprinted in our souls. From the almost grandiose and spiritual single “Dagsens Auga Sloknar Ut” to the meditative “Tussmørke“, we’re forced to look deep and within to fully understand these tracks.

The union of ethereal sounds with stories and legends from Norwegian folklore is a flawless blend, and it won’t take much time to grow fond of this EP because it will resonate with anyone who has a desire to reconnect to our very own roots. We can run, we can get distracted and we can miss things, but “Er Eg Framand” will bring everything and put the focus back to where it belongs.

In conclusion, Sylvaine has proved again that her talent has no boundaries and this release confirms her presence in the music scene. In a world saturated with musical excess, this EP stands as a testament to the fact that true prowess transcends the need for bombastic instrumentation. The atmosphere will be enough: less is always more.