Svalbard - When I Die, Will I Get Better?

‘When I Die, Will I Get Better?’, this third LP from Bristolian post-metal quartet Svalbard, is an album of highs and lows. At its best, there’s a vitality on show, with just the right level of dynamic shift hitting at all the right points. ‘Click Bait’ has a firm grip throughout its length, impressively building and building until its predestined eventual collapse, ‘Silent Restraint’ is thoroughly melodic, retaining a sinister atmosphere, and ‘Listen To Someone’, comprised of atmospheric guitars layered over insistent drums, is full of yet more pleasing unpredictability. Yet, despite starting fierce, both ‘The Currency of Beauty’ and closer ‘Pearlescent’ are indirect, falling into sameness. ‘When I Die, Will I Get Better?’ is definitively a sonically beautiful record, but one that’s also often structurally overly cohesive, leaving something lacking.