SVALBARD have announced their debut Australian tour. The beloved Bristol (UK) metallers will bring their unique blend of dynamic metal soundscapes to rooms in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in May. They will be accompanied on all dates by similarly inclined Melbourne 'blackened post-metalcore' crew RUN. Tickets for the tour which runs from 23-26 May,  are on sale on Friday from noon local time.  

The highly-anticipated visit from Svalbard follows the release of 2023's full-length The Weight Of The Mask. The first Svalbard album to be adorned with the iconic brandmark of Nuclear Blast Records, The Weight of the Mask has proved to be a breakthrough release for Svalbard. Born out of a battle with depression that clung like a limpet and then morphed into a beast over lockdown, The Weight of the Mask is about facing up to the beast, about staring down your demons and fighting them with everything you have. 

Uncompromising and highly charged, the record spans themes intrinsic to humanity, such as emotional strength and depression, to unrequited love and vulnerability, all while spanning a euphoric and unique musical blend of black metal, post-rock, and d-beat hardcore.

Vocalist/guitarist Serena Cherry joined Maniacs before the record's release in October, for an engaging conversation about Svalbard’s journey to the verge of metal stardom.

"I think The Weight of the Mask is all about an extremity of contrast. So it does sound cliche to say it but it is true, this album has some of the softest songs we’ve ever written and some of the heaviest songs we’ve ever written. I think we've found an expressive quality, within that contrast, where the softer parts represent the light and the hope and the fight against depression, which is what the album is about,  and then the heavier parts represent that kind of anger and frustration and sort of spiralling into darkness. So that's a very conflicted album. I think that's what makes it special."

In the wide-ranging interview, Serena also revealed a unique connection to the late Joey Jordison that inspired the song Eternal Spirits.  

Eternal Spirits shows that you had a particular fondness for Joey, what was it about Joey that moved you so much?

“I'll tell you the story. I went to loads of Slipknot shows when they were in the UK. I'd read every single interview that Joey Jordison ever gave,  I would consume any bit of media available on Slipknot.  I read that he liked Mike Patton. My mum is a record collector who used to take me along to record fairs. I found this super rare bootleg recording of Mr. Bungle and Fantomas, two of Mike Patton’s bands. It was a split. So I all my money from my paper round job to buy it for Joey and went to a Slipknot signing. At the time I was learning drums because I wanted to play just like Joey, so I wrote him a letter saying, you know, you've inspired me to play drums, and I know you like my Mike Patton, so here's this record, and I gave it to him and his girlfriend at the time.  As you know at these things where you get everything signed, there are thousands of people, so while he was thankful, you get rushed along, but his girlfriend ran following me out the store and was like ‘Joey wants you to have this’, and it was a backstage pass for the show, at Birmingham in 2002 on the Iowa tour.” 

“So I went backstage after the show, and I got to hang out with Joey and talk about music, and we talked about our favourite KISS songs, and we just had this charming conversation. After that point, every time he was in the UK, we would get to hang out and I remember giving him a tape of me drumming and him being so encouraging saying ‘Oh, don't give up’ That’s the thing With Joey, there is a lot of cynical sharks in the music industry but Joey's passion and love and encouragement for metal and younger bands, was so genuine. He had his ear to the ground, he knew so many underground, up-and-coming bands and he was so encouraging.”

“He was always there cheering me on. I’m trying not to get too emotional, but I wouldn't be playing instruments if it weren't for him. So yeah, he is like, the reason I play music and  I was devastated when he passed away.”

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Listen to SVALBARD and RUN on our METAL MANIACS playlist