Album Reviews

Tired of the long sound checks and even longer days in the studio that come from being in a band like Cult Of Luna where every detail matters, Riwen is Johannes Persson’s way of doing things the other way. Inspired by hardcore bands like Judge, Battery and Integrity, Persson set out to write 14 songs in 14 days, met up with two dudes from a crust/grind band called Totalt Jävla Mörker and started Riwen.

Following the three-song introduction they released late last year, these dudes are now unleashing “The Cold” and holy crap, it’s loud! And raw! And fast! Well, most of the time anyway. They do slow down somewhat in the sludgy “Orcus” or go downright epic on your asses in “Stalking A Wounded Wolf”. Most of the time though, Riwen is happy to crank out blistering hardcore that will make your head spin.