Since their inception, Svalbard have been a vehicle for vocalist Serena Cherry to unleash hellfire and brimstone on the very worst facets of society. On 2018’s sensational It’s Hard To Have Hope, her piercing gaze focused on everything from forced dog breeding to abortion rights to revenge porn. Now, two years later, the world hasn’t improved any (if you hadn’t noticed), providing more than enough ammunition for the Bristol metallers’ third full-length. But don’t go thinking this record is just another side to their previous album, When I Die, Will It Get Better? is an evolution. Whereas before the quartet were dancing around the blackened hardcore mould, they’ve now crossed over into the ethereal realm, embracing more shoegaze textures and crystalline instrumentation, akin to Rolo To...
