50 Best Hard Rock & Heavy Metal Albums Of 2017

The solo project of that sensual German gent Ulf Theodor Schwadorf, Sun of the Sleepless returned from the abyss in grand fashion in 2017, releasing its debut full-length, To the Elements, in the process.

The symphonic black metal outfit is one that exists in direct contradiction to Schwadorf’s folk-inclined, “main” band Empyrium, delivering an all-out display of brutality and despondency while also making use of the acoustic and ambient elements that the frontman has become renowned for in his homeland.

With its monochrome artwork harkening back to the bygone days of early Behemoth and Darkthrone, To the Elements is a deeply orchestral piece of work, grand backing vocalists omnipresent beneath chord-driven guitar-work and lightning quick drumming.

Song titles like the deliciously evil-sounding trio of “Where in My Childhood Lived a Witch”, “Forest Crown” and “In the Realm of the Bark” fit wholeheartedly with black metal’s subversive nature, adding a sinister edge to the expansive natural world and seemingly innocent prospects.

Stylistically, To the Elements’ adherence to the crushingly heavy and satirical nature of the black metal of old combined with its use of many a folk and choral mainstay make it a perfect bridge between the Norwegian originators of the genre and the recent, postmodern scene that the style finds itself in today. It’s like a missing link, perfect for lulling old-school die-hards into the modern world with its melancholic extreme.