(written by Islander)
The creation of music and its exposure to listeners is, as we all know, an inherently synergistic phenomenon. At least when the music is honest and authentic, the artist thinks something, feels something, is driven by the need to express those thoughts and emotions, maybe even as compulsively as the need to eat and drink. But the listener exposed to musical creations reacts based on their own thoughts, feelings, and histories. What they interpret, whether reflexively or through a thoughtful contemplation, is as much a function of themselves as it is the intention and spirit of the artist.
Bizarrekult is the black metal musical vehicle of Roman V., a native of Siberian Russia who moved to Norway roughly 20 years ago and then began recording music as a lone wolf, accompanying poetic verses he’d been writing since childhood. A demo emerged in 2006, followed by an early split with Theosophy, but then nothing surfaced until an EP in 2019 and then a first album in 2021, Vi overlevde (“We Survived”), followed by a second one, Den tapte krigen (“The Lost War”), in 2023.
Now a third one is on the way. Its title is Alt Som Finnes (“All There Is”), and it includes guest vocalists from Predatory Void, MØL, and Dødheimsgard. What inspired this one?
photo by Radmila Volchenkova
We’re told that it “emerged from a deep personal crisis”. Season of Mist, which will release the album through its Underground Activists imprint, adds this:
Picture the ocean from inside the eye of a storm. Each rising wave presents its own unique threat, churned by the changing of the tides. But no matter how far you sink below the surface, all there is to see is one continuous expanse of water. This is the tortured yet piercingly clear headspace from which post-black metal curio Bizarrekult slowly and painstakingly emerged with its absorbing third album Alt Som Finnes.
In introducing the new album, they also included words from Roman: “I was not ready for all of this. None of us are, when the time comes. But at the end of this journey, it seems to have all been worth it. The music gave me hints as to where to go and what can be…. Norway has become my second home. The years that led to the revitalization of Bizarrekult were spent reflecting on myself and reuniting with the things that are important – art and creativity.”
To help spread the word about the new album we’re now presenting a video for its first single, a song named “Blikket Hennes” (“Her Look”), which includes the contributions of Dødheimsgard vocalist Yusaf “Vicotnik” Parvez. Per Roman: “I wrote to Yusaf not about music, but life and its difficulties. It became a connection…. Your conscience never sleeps. It judges and evaluates everything you do. You will never be able to get away from it; it will pierce you day and night, for good and bad.”
So, we have some hints about a creator’s inner and outer turmoils that found outlets in the music. On the other side of the synergy is how we and you interact with the music, our own reception of the song.
Radmila Volchenkova
In this case the impression of the music is intertwined with and influenced by the effects of a gripping, beautifully acted video (which is itself open to interpretation). But even focusing entirely on the music, it does powerfully channel feelings of turmoil, confusion, shame, and anger. It sounds like a mental and emotional breakdown in progress, or at least like a terrible remembrance of that — with one transfixing and revelatory glimpse of understanding, shrouded in sorrow.
Many aspects of the song are emotionally shattering, but foremost among them are Roman’s harsh vocals, a no-holds-barred outpouring of wrenching and raging intensity, gritty and cutting, snarling and screaming out at the raw limits of endurance. The music is often a close match for that intensity, discharging abrasive riffing that sears and writhes, coupled with furiously hurtling drums and bass.
Moments of confusion also emerge, through solo bass lines and unpredictable drum flurries. The guitars vibrantly blare as well as swarm; dissonant notes ring out and warp above double-bass rumbles, seeming to manifest mental paralysis and despair; the music also soars and shines, as if expressing an intense yearning for some kind of relief (a strident appeal for a key to the lock).
Some relief does come (that aforementioned moment of discovery) through the remarkable singing of Vicotnik, which is powerful enough to put your heart in your throat. It’s the song’s true crescendo, and will likely be what many people remember first about it. But that revelatory phase itself seems clouded with grief — and it doesn’t last. The song’s grim and degraded finale marks a return of very dark moods.
The video for “Blikket Hennes” was directed by Natalia Drepina (@mourneress). It stars Pavel V. Boldyrev (@somebodyawful) and Natalia Drepina.
Alt Som Finnes Recording Lineup:
Roman V. – Vocals
Ignat P. – Guitars & Bass
Alexander P. – Drums
Guest Musicians:
Yusaf “Vicotnik” Parvez (Dødheimsgard) — Vocals on “Blikket Hennes”
Lina (Predatory Void / Cross Bringer) — Vocals on “Drøm”
Kim Song Sternkopf (Møl) — Vocals on “Tomhet”
The new album was recorded at Seaside Room, and was produced, mixed, and mastered by Miguel Tereso at Demigod Recordings. It features absorbing cover art by Gravestench Art.
Alt Som Finnes comes out February 20, 2026 on Season of Mist Underground Activists. It will be available on jewelcase CD, 12″ vinyl (black, and purple with black and white marbling), and digital editions. The album is 8 songs and nearly 43 minutes of music, and comes recommended for fans of Enslaved, Deafheaven, Dødheimsgard, and Der Weg Einer Freiheit.
PRE-ORDER/PRE-SAVE:
https://orcd.co/bizarrekultaltsomfinnes
BIZARREKULT:
Bandcamp: https://bizarrekult.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bizarrekult/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bizarrekvlt/