ALBUM REVIEW: Black Arcs Rising by Statues

The trio that forms Statues, Johan Sellman on vocals and guitar, Magnus Egerbladh Öberg on drums, and Henrik Wiklund on bass and vocals joined their collective forces in 2018 and have released Adult Lobotomy (2018) and Holocene (2020).

With their 3rd studio album, Black Arcs Rising, now out, the Swedish rock trio says this about their latest piece,

The title warns of worse times. Black Arcs can be seen in a chart, but it can also mean that there are black arcs rising from the ground that warn of worse times. Our texts are often prophetic by accident. The last record, Holocene, had a song called Lockdown and then came the pandemic. The lyrics are as usual of the darker kind, but there is also a kind of black humor in the absurdity described. If you do it wrong, things will go to hell and therefore it must be warned about the madness that exists. It may already be too late to save the world as the doomsday clock is close to midnight, but by pointing to the absurdities of environmental destruction, consumerism, capitalism, the annexation of other countries and an unwillingness to change behavior, we are doing what we can to encourage change.

Statues wonderfully blends the finer elements of 90’s alternative rock into their sound. Within a short span of a mere 32 minutes, Statues covers a plethora of topics across the 12 tracks but it’s their ability to take wailing guitars, angst filled lyrics, and a wall of attitude and go f’ yourself that makes Black Arcs Rising not only a bold but enthralling album.

MUST LISTEN TRACKS: “Chemicals”, “Agony”, “Ephochalypse”, “Bestiary”

FAVOURITE TRACKS: “Chemicals”, “Dead of Summer”