Let’s get this out of the way up front: I don’t speak Polish. I barely speak English without sounding like I’ve been chewing gravel and arguing with myself in an alleyway. But none of that matters when a record like Światowstręt comes roaring through the speakers, grabs you by the spine, and shakes the shit out of you. Language becomes irrelevant the second Bläkken begin their assault. Meaning arrives through impact, not vocabulary.
Because Światowstręt doesn’t communicate — it erupts.
This is Blackened Death Metal that doesn’t bother with friendliness or subtle invitations; it simply materialises, fully formed, with the intent of wrecking everything you foolishly thought was stable. There’s a level of confidence baked into the execution that hits you immediately. Not swagger, not pretense — certainty.
Bläkken sound like a band who know exactly what they’re capable of, and they spend the entire runtime proving it.
What impressed me first wasn’t the aggression — though there’s plenty of that — but the precision with which they wield it. Plenty of bands can play fast. Plenty can be heavy. But not many can make that weight feel this deliberately sculpted. Each riff lands with purpose. Each rhythmic shift feels like a deliberate strategy rather than a convenient change of pace. There’s a structural intelligence at work here that keeps the violence sharp instead of sloppy.
And the tone on this album is monstrous.
Not thick for the sake of thickness, not thin in the name of “rawness,” but crafted to sound like bones grinding together beneath steel. The guitars snarl rather than buzz, the low end churns like the engine of something that shouldn’t legally be allowed on the road, and the drums strike with the kind of authority that implies Bläkken’s drummer could level architectural structures if you pointed him at them.
Vocally, Światowstręt is a lesson in controlled fury. There’s no theatrical posturing here, no forced “evil” affectation — just a man exorcising whatever demons clawed their way up his throat at the time of recording. It’s a performance that feels lived-in, not staged. Not stylised darkness, but something internal, cracked open and allowed to spill out.
What keeps the entire album gripping from start to finish is the band’s sense of dynamic threat. They aren’t a one-speed machine. They know when to pull back the tempo just enough to let tension accumulate like storm pressure, and they know exactly when to snap the reins and let everything charge forward again. It’s the sonic equivalent of watching someone taping up their knuckles while maintaining perfect eye contact — you’re not sure when the swing is coming, but you’re certain it will.
Atmosphere seeps through the cracks of Światowstręt in unexpected ways. Not with keyboards or ambient padding, but with the natural decay of the instruments themselves. The resonance, the feedback trails, the spaces between the notes — all of it creates an aura that feels oppressive without ever resorting to tropes. It’s the kind of atmosphere that emerges from pure intensity rather than decoration. A storm cloud formed from pressure alone.
One of the real achievements of this album is how cohesive it feels. This isn’t a collection of tracks stitched together; it’s a sustained emotional and sonic arc. There’s a sense of escalation to the writing — like Bläkken are pulling you deeper into something without ever giving you a map of the descent. You reach the end unsure of where you’ve been, but very aware that it changed your pulse.
And here’s the thing that genuinely floored me: Światowstręt would have made the Black Metal Archives Album of the Year list effortlessly had that list not already been set in stone. Not as a courtesy slot, not as a token pick, but as a legitimate contender for the upper ranks. That’s how complete, confident, and punishing this record is. This is the kind of album that arrives unannounced, smashes through your expectations, and plants a flag in the wreckage.
Bläkken haven’t just released a strong Blackened Death Metal record — they’ve released one that has already staked a claim for 2026. One that asserts itself with the conviction of a band who know they’ve created something formidable.
Whether you understand a single lyric or not is immaterial. The meaning hits in the marrow.
Światowstręt doesn’t wait for permission.
It simply dominates.
Światowstręt by Bläkken is available from their Bandcamp page.
CHOICE CUT: Zguba
BLACK METAL ARCHIVES VERDICT: A ferocious, disciplined, razor-edged onslaught that proves Blackened Death Metal can still feel dangerous, vital, and undeniable. A triumph of pure conviction and controlled chaos.
PRESS SOURCE: Cátia C./Against PR.
