#AlbumReview: Blodtår – Monark

Band: Blodtår
Title: Monark
Label: Nordvis Produktion
Release date:  September 18th,  2026
Country: Sweden
Format reviewed: High-Quality Digital Recording

#AlbumReview: Blodtår – Monark via Nordvis Produktion by Sílvia

The Swedish band Blodtår is back again with their third album, “Monark”, after their namesake EP (2021) and the LP “Det förtegna förflutna” (“The Unspoken Past”) from 2023. With their characteristic Scandinavian melancholic sound mixed with folk-ish melodies and black metal aggression, this new offering has really fulfilled my expectations… Yes, I’ve been waiting for these guys to release more music since their previous album was out. ‘Cause it’s one of the bands that perfectly fit my (far from homogeneous) taste, I mean: when I love a band, can’t help but been really anxious about any news, any hint of new music in the horizon… and I fell in love with Blodtår since the first time I listened to them, back in the day, just because a metal artist I admire mentioned them in his stories on social media… That’s how I work sometimes.

All this intro is only for saying why I can be so crazy about certain bands or musicians sometimes, and waiting for a new album from Blodtår for more than three years seems like a lifetime! So my impatience was sooo big… 

But let’s delve into this album. “Monark” starts with the song named “Blodtår” (“Blood tear”), and even if it starts in a soft way, after a few seconds it enters with everything: a very melodic riff with the bass highlighting it, drums running fast and vocals mixing anguish with desperation. This is a thing I love in this album: the way in which Carl can convey these emotions with his way of singing. At times his voice seems to break, as my soul can break in hundred pieces just feeling the sorrow in his voice. And if I go deeper and translate the lyrics, I notice they are dark and talk about pain, suffering, inner struggles, death, dark thoughts… all soaked in tons of melancholy. 

There are some calm choruses, as at the end of “Till min sista viloplats” (“To my final resting place”), which is a big counterpoint to the previous overwhelming sound of this song. Most of the riffs are imbued with folk tunes, which results in the characteristic sound of Blodtår: an atmospheric and Nordic sound, highly melodic, and with forceful drums, Hebert Alarcón is a very skilled drummer, and as in the previous albums by the band, he does an outstanding work here. Carl’s anguished vocals speak to us in this track of Norse mythology, and -at least for me- makes my blood run cold with all the desperation it conveys.

“Paradis”, ah you might think it’s a song about positive things or thoughts… nothing further from reality. Well, the music is maybe the kind that might invite you to dance around a bonfire in the night. But the lyrics are painful, talking about hell inside one’s heart, very dark and containing a lot of suffering. And “paradise” maybe refers to what’s beyond that tormented life, but only as a dream… ‘cause reality hurts too much. These are very touching lyrics.

Carl not only does the vocals, he’s also responsible for the guitars and bass, and again let me talk about the string work: guitars entwine in riffs that usually are undeniable folky style, and sometimes there’s a darker sound, like when they intone cold melodies and the sound turns more sharp, icy: the atmosphere around turns very intense and melancholy is felt with more intensity. The beginning of “Monark” makes me feel this way. And, in this song in particular, the drums are majestic, with that skilled variety of hits and rolls, and then disappearing to let guitars shine in the final part with all their coldness.

There’s a special song, “Nu är det synd om de döda”, that starts with choruses a cappella, and after a bit guitars and bass are added, marking the melody that seems to be a traditional Swedish song… and maybe it is, I don’t know. This short song is bright and luminous, and even if the lyrics are about the dead, it turns out to be beautiful.

The closing theme, “Den eviga isen” (“The eternal ice”) is maybe the most radiant song, but not entirely free from the melancholy that reigns along this album. The highlighted bass along with the tremolo guitars at the beginning build an optimistic sound, maybe there’s still a way out through all the darkness. Vocals are dramatic, though, and there’s an ambiguous feeling of cold loneliness and hope in the lyrics. 

The artwork was made by Heresie Studio; there’s a drop of blood sliding off a torn canvas revealing more blood behind it, with a royal emblem on the front… It’s a very strong image.

This entire album is a masterpiece, ‘cause it mixes things I love in the perfect measure: melancholic tunes, dark and touching lyrics, anguished vocals, folk-ish riffs that can be ice cold at times, heavy pummeling drums… I’m simply mesmerized, and I give this album  10/10

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10/10  Immortal Classic
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