THE SYNN REPORT (PART 167): SHEDFROMTHEBODY

Recommended for fans of: Darkher, Holy Fawn, Junius

Finnish fatalist Suvi Savikko (aka Shedfromthebody) is a relatively recent discovery – having only released her debut album in 2020 – but has been a prolific presence here at NCS all the same, as we’ve so far covered all her releases (which, including last month’s Amare, now totals three full-length albums and one EP) to one extent or another.

Sonically the project’s combines brooding guitars, desolate ambience, and mesmerising melody – as well as, increasingly, a blending of Shoegaze, Sludge, Grunge, and Alt-Rock influences – into a sound that could best be described as “Doomgaze” or “Post-Doom”, if one were so inclined.

It’s an acquired taste, certainly, but one which is both rich in real emotion and resonates with raw potential, and I am hopeful that many of our readers will come to love the music here as much as I have after reading this.

2020 – A DEAD AND AIMLESS HUM

Right from the start, when the groaning guitars and gossamer-like vocals of “Pathea” bloom from the speakers, it’s clear that the very first Shedfromthebody album is an intriguing and evocative mix of sounds, both intensely introspective and exceptionally expressive at the same time, and one which doesn’t necessarily fit within the “traditional” confines of what we might consider “heavy” but has an undeniable weight to it all the same.

Songs like “Sol”, “Hyaline” and “Cherubian Hand”, for example, marry an aura of haunting vulnerability to a sense of sombre, slow-burning intensity reminiscent of similarly dynamic, atmosphere-infused artists like Sinistro and Obscure Sphinx, while calmer, but no less cathartic, cuts like “Hum” and late-album highlight “Veins” frequently recall the bleak beauty of Alcest or Anathema (albeit with an overall doomier vibe) or even, in the case of “Paso Fino”, latter-day Katatonia.

Even at this early stage Shedfromthebody’s ability to paint such an eloquent and enthralling picture with such a moody, minimalist palette is undeniably impressive, especially considering that the entire album is the product of just one individual’s ambition and abilities, but it’s Savikko’s vocals which stand out most of all.

Tender and tremulous, poignant and passionate, her voice shimmers and soars, filling the air with crystalline melodies which ring out and reverberate with crystalline clarity and ethereal emotion, and plays a major role in making A Dead and Aimless Hum one of the most intriguing debuts of the last few years.

It’s not completely perfect (synthy goth-rocker “Axhide” feels very out of place, while closer “A Disintegration” is largely overshadowed by it’s superior predecessor), but I can confidently say that the album’s many good points (and I’ve not even mentioned how slowly and subtly “Curl” evolves towards its fuzzy, sludge-tinged finale, or the scintillating Post-Black climax of “A Better Place”) easily outweigh the record’s minor missteps.

Thrillingly vital, and far from aimless, make sure to give this one a chance next time you’re looking for something doomy ‘n’ gloomy which doesn’t necessarily trade in the familiar concepts and clichés.

2021 – TO HOLD THE RIPENED SUN

While listening to this album in preparation for writing this article it quickly became clear to me – not far into the soulful slow-burn of doom-laden opener “It Grows Tall”, in fact – that To Hold the Ripened Sun is an even better album than its predecessor in multiple ways.

That’s no slight on the project’s debut, by any means, it’s just that Shedfromthebody‘s second album manages to be simultaneously more intense and more intimate, heavier and more haunting (or, possibly, haunted), while also somehow being more consistent and more coherent overall.

Obvious examples of this are strewn throughout the album, from the heaving guitars and hypnotic vocals of doomy early highlight “We’ll Be Lifting Our Arms to the Sky in Joy and Wonder” and the sombre, almost stream-of-consciousness flow of the Chelsea Wolfe-esque “The Hollowing of Girls” to the trembling tenderness of “Shrines” (which represents the more ethereal and shoegaze-inspired end of the spectrum) and the sludgy shimmer and grungy grooves of “Halfhollow”,  and beyond.

Of course, this does make it a little difficult to pick out specific favourites, since the whole album is just so good, but the shimmering atmospherics and scintillating singing of “Hours” definitely makes that one a clear candidate, while the droning, almost Deftones-ish guitars and captivating vocal hooks of “Fascia” and the proggy, post-metallic light and shade of “Irti” are both definitely up there too (as is the album’s sublimely sinister version of folk-classic “In the Pines”).

There really isn’t a track on here that you should ever need to skip – even mid-album interlude, “Aino”, is pretty much perfectly placed to break up the record into two distinct chapters – and by the time you’ve finished listening to the magnificently melancholy strains of outstanding eponymous closer “To Hold the Ripened Sun” there’s a good chance that at least some of you will have fallen in love with this record as much as I have.

2022 – DESTRUCTION / BREATHING / HEALING

Compared to its predecessor, Destruction / Breathing / Healing feels ever so slightly lighter and brighter, placing more emphasis on the “Post-” and “-gaze” elements of the band’s sound in a manner somewhat reminiscent of artists such as Alcest, Hum, and Chrome Waves.

But try not to let this put you off or prejudice you against what this EP has to offer, as while the lilting, melodic guitar work and drifting bass lines have certainly taken on an increased prominence this time around, there’s still a dense undercurrent of doomy, distorted riffage (especially during opener “Lungs”) thrumming away beneath it all in sombre, subdued fashion.

And while Savikko’s elegant, ethereal voice remains a major selling point for this project, with her spellbinding singing on each of these four tracks continues to play a major role in their success, it’s always been the collective whole of all the instruments and elements working in harmony which has made her music so special, and Destruction / Breathing / Healing is no different in this regard.

Intriguingly, however, this shift towards a slightly more upbeat and “Alt-” influenced sound on “Giver”, “In Waves” (my personal favourite cut from the EP), and “Catherine Wheel” (named, one must assume, in tribute to the influential 90s band of the same name) opens up a number of potential new pathways for the project to follow in the future, so make sure to give it a listen the next time you’re in the mood for something that’s more “hypnotic” than “heavy”, but which still possesses an undeniable sense of substance.

2023 – AMARE

Unexpectedly, given the more “Alt-” and “-gaze” leaning sound of her previous EP, Shedfromthebody‘s third album might just be her heaviest… not that you’d know that, at least at first, from the delicate, dreamlike opening of “Titania”.

Of course, when the song finally and fully blossoms, unveiling a series of atmospherically dense, Deftones-meets-Junius guitars and a sharper, punchier drum sound (all topped off with Savikko‘s sensual, almost synaesthetic vocals) it certainly feels like a more intense version of the project than we’ve heard before – erring more towards the doomier end of Post-Metal than the more atmospheric side of Doom this time around (although it’s a very fine line, that’s for sure).

“Coiled” keeps up this sense of restrained, focussed intensity, even bringing in some harsh vocals for the very first time as the song grows increasingly darker and more oppressive towards the end, after which the more ethereal and ambient soundscapes of “Hush” – another early highlight, which slowly but surely builds towards a gorgeously gloomy crescendo – should definitely resonate with fans of the likes of Holy Fawn and their ilk, while the pulsing energy of “Air” sits somewhere between Kold-era Sólstafir and latter-day Spotlights.

The seamless juxtaposition of huge, heaving guitars and enchanting vocal melodies – which is, after all, one of the signifying features of Shedfromtheboy‘s sound – is in full effect on “Kuchizuke”, whose calmest moments soothe the ears like a lullaby, and whose boldest, most bombastic passages you can feel deep in your chest, whereas – by contrast – the solemn, subdued strains of “To Be Loved” solely showcase the most fragile and vulnerable side of the band.

It’s the scintillating tension between soaring Dream-Pop and stunning Post-Metal which makes penultimate track “Messiah” so effective though, Savikko‘s innate gift for crafting captivating vocal lines and combining them with rich, instinctively irresistible guitar rhythms ensuring that even the most jaded and cynical listener will be unable to resist the song’s undeniable charms, after which the enigmatic ebb and flow of “Holy Soil”, which puts even more emphasis than ever on the brooding, booming riffs and luscious, soaring leads (interspersed with subtle synth and electronic embellishments) brings the whole album to a moodily triumphant close.