Tungsten is a metalband originated in Sweden. Charismatic lead-singer Mike Andersson is accompanied by one of the best drummers in the world Anders Johansson, guitar-god Niklas Johansson (Who also does loads of things behind the scenes) and multi-talented Karl Johansson who takes care of the screams and growls as well as the bass.
With the release of Bliss, Tungsten presented their third album to the world and again this is done through the German label Arising Empire. Bliss has 11 brand new tracks on it, has a total playing time of a little over 45 minutes and was released on June the 17th 2022. The artwork is done by Andreas Marschall, just like he has done with Bliss’ predecessors We Will Rise (2019) and Tundra (2020).
The album opens with In The Center and it really hits you hard. A bit out of the ordinary for Tungsten perhaps but a great, not to say fantastic, way to pull you in. Catchy guitar riffs, impressive singing combined with deep growls and screams sets the tone. What follows is Dreamers. Again an up-tempo song, the folk influences Tungsten is known for come to shine and the powerful voice of Mike Andersson really catches your ear.
March Along is song number three and is released as a single with videoclip on March 4, 2022. Again the catchy riffs stand out, and the videoclip shows this foursome have an incredible sense of humour! Heart of Rust is the track that follows and from the get-go it grips again. The lyrics are meaningful and the screams add an extra layer to an almost sensitive metal song.
Song number five is Come This Way and was the first single (in a total of 4) that Tungsten released (January 28th, 2022) again accompanied by a videoclip and it is Tungsten in “optima forma”. What stands out to me, halfway through the album, is that it sounds like Tungsten but in a different, more complete way. On The Sea is track number 6 and again was released as a single. Really catchy lyrics and a melody that absolutely screams to be played on stage. Nice touch is the “Fairies Dance” sounds towards the end of the song.
Title-track Bliss is the 7th song on this album and it is probably the “darkest” song on the album. Sung in 8 (!!) different languages this song was released too, in Tungsten’s build up towards the album release. The video that accompanied Bliss shows a darker side of these Swedes in a way they haven’t done before.
Towards the end of the album we find Wonderland. Like the rest of the album the singing is fantastic, the composition is extremely well thought out and the guitar-solo done by Niklas Johansson is a key point by now in recognising Tungsten.
Afraid of Light is the 9th song on Bliss and again it combines the folk and melodic metal in a way Tungsten has firmly made its own. The reach of Mike’s voice gets a nice podium in the song and again the overall composition of the music is impressive. The second to last track on Bliss is called Eye of the Storm and perhaps this song shows best how much Tungsten has grown. No disrespect intended towards their previous work, but Eye of the Storm combines all the attributes that divine Tungsten in an almost captivating way. Up-tempo melodic metal draped with a “folky” sauce.
The closing track of Bliss is called Northern Lights and to highlight and celebrate the release of Bliss, Tungsten made an impressive Viking themed video for Northern Lights that was released at the 17th of June together with the album. The longest track on this album builds up slowly with drumming wizard Anders Johansson playing a hand drum to support an impressive and almost mesmerizing voice of Mike Andersson. Like many other Tungsten songs, Northern Lights comes to its full might if it is played in front of a crowd, but the power that radiates from this song comes through perfectly in album form.
Conclusion:
After listening to Bliss I can’t conclude anything else than that Tungsten has delivered a true masterpiece. These talented Swedes are known for their fusion of folk and melodic metal and do not disappoint. In every single way it is recognisable as Tungsten but they have found a way to add another layer to their music. To say they have matured doesn’t do justice to their previous work. Tungsten has found a way to put more emotion, more music into their songs. Each and every song has its own strong characteristics, the pace throughout the album is perfectly balanced, the lyrics are meaningful and original and the overall composition is of an incredibly high standard. Worth mentioning is that the band-members themselves did most of the recording and producing for their video’s and the album.
All four members of the band have reached a higher level if you will and together they delivered Tungsten’s best album to date. Bliss is an easy accessible album for those who want to get to know Tungsten and for fans of Tungsten is Bliss an absolute must.
Bliss has been released in physical form and on all digital streaming platforms.
Score 10.0/10.0
Tungsten:
Mike Andersson – Vocals
Anders Johannson – Drums
Niklas Andersson – Guitar
Karl Johansson – Bass, Growls
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If you want to learn more about Tungsten, please click the following playlist!
