Svartnad was founded in early 2008 by me, Tobias, and Karl ”Sire Nahvas” Hoverman with the intention to create depressive black metal, a lot like the Swedish pioneers Silencer, drawing influences from band like Dissection, Mayhem and Shining. A few weeks after the founding of the band, Karl wrote and recorded a demo song, later released on our first demo "Days Of Desolation” under the title "Save Me”. Towards the end of 2008, Karl moved up north and therefor decided to leave Svartnad.

A few weeks went by before I recruited Alexander Larsson (of Forlorn Remembrance) on guitar, and the project continued. We wrote songs frequently the following months, and in early October 2009 we entered studio Mega Musik in Helsingborg to record our first EP/MCD "En Studie I Ensamhet”. Line-up for the recording was: Me (Tobias) – Bass guitar, viola, growl, clean vocals, programming, Alexander – Guitars and programming, Pontus Landgren (of Cloud Zone and .O.M.W.F.Y.U.) - Drums, and Cajsa Larsson – Guest Vocals in "Amfetamin”. The songs were recorded by me, Cajsa and Stefan Rosqvist (who’s worked with Darkane, among several other bands) and finally mastered by me. The EP was finished in early April 2010 and, for some reason, leaked onto the internet very soon after that. "En Studie I Ensamhet” is, anyhow, being released both on tape (via Depressive Illusions Records) and on CD (via Downfall Records) this fall.

And we're currently working on the material for our upcoming EP, planned for next spring.

The now permanent line-up of Svartnad is:

Tobias Lindberg - Bass Guitar, Growl, Clean Vocals, Viola, Violin, Cello, Guitars, Programming

Alexander Larsson - Electric and Acoustic Guitars, programming

I'd like to call it a mixture of depressive post-rock, post-black metal, folk and ambient, but our music is really hard to define for some reason... As long as you don't call it "depressive black metal” it's fine by me!

Alex comes up with most of the ideas for the songs, and I can't talk for him, but my main influences for Svartnad is probably bands like Katatonia, Alcest, God Is An Astronaut, Rosetta, Les Discrets, Anathema, Khoma, My Dying Bride, Grey Waters, Swallow the Sun, Cult of Luna, Moonspell, Sigur Rós, Austere and Amorphis (one hell of a mixture, I know).

I think that Svartnad is a rather unusual experience for a regular metalhead. Our music still has, sort of, a "black metal-isch” core, but there are so many other elements to the music that really makes it a bit odd. I wouldn't say that we're unique, of course not, but at least we're a bit more different than a lot of the bands in our scene.

We only have a one-track demo called "Days of Desolation” and an EP entitled "En Studie I Ensamhet” out right now. "Days of Desolation” was well received in the fairly small SDBM/DSBM-scene, but we haven't really heard much feedback on that recording, but since neither me or Alex took part in it, we don't really care. "En Studie I Ensamhet” has been exceptionally well received! We've had some pretty good reviews here and there, some interviews and a lot of private persons writing to us, mainly on our myspace page. It feels really great that so many people all over the world really enjoys that EP!

No, we don't perform live and we probably never will. This is just a side-project beside mine and Alex main band Forlorn Remembrance.

Hm.. We ain't that strange I guess. Two regular guys that loves music. It's easiest if they contact us and fire away some questions instead! Email us at svartnad@myspace.com

We're going to start recording later this fall and we'll hopefully have it done by next spring. The plan is to release another EP as well as a split record, though we don't know with which band yet.

And for next fall, we're planning to begin the recording of our first full-length album!

After that..we'll see..

You can listen to all our tracks on our myspace: www.myspace.com/svartnad, and you can buy "En Studie I Ensamhet” on tape (the only format out for now, unfortunately) either directly from us or from Depressive Illusions Records (just google it and you'll find their homepage!)