A good debut like the ep Self & Distance needed a full length to follow it up: it took five years for this to happen but it was worth it, because Under Søvnen does not disappoint. To describe it, I steal a short definition left by a fan on Arakk‘s bandcamp: “There are four riffs in this 42-minute album and they will convert (or annihilate) anyone who doesn’t like doom. Everything is superlative here: gorgeous production, oppressive bass, waves of oppressive emotion, even the sax … And an impeccable sense of rhythm.” Indeed, the two long tracks, Vandrer and Vågner, are perfectly photographed by these few lines: admittedly, the album is not an easy test to assimilate and, given that the conceptual theme has to do with sleep, the risk exists that those less accustomed to these sounds will be conditioned in this sense. But, beyond the jokes, Arakk are a band that deserves much more than the distracted attention that has been devoted to them by the webzine sector and I personally hope that they do not make too much time pass again between releases, not to risk to be again a choice of backwater even for those who appreciated them in Self & Distance and Under Søvnen.

2018 – Wolves and Vibrancy Records