“It is intense, cathartic and hopeful, simultaneously sanguine and scathing, much like grief itself.”
Hailing from Croatia, Trivan presents the black metal single ‘Abyss of Crawling Shadows’, an anthem of personal perseverance and a wistfully ferocious homage to the memory of a lost loved one.
The track itself is bludgeoning and defiantly contemplative, courtesy of its honed blackened edge and patient rhythms. The specific personal circumstances that helped give birth to ‘Abyss of Crawling Shadows’ make me appreciate it even more. The song is marked by the grief of losing a loved one. ‘Abyss of Crawling Shadows’ is the brainchild of Vanja Šantak, written after the loss of his beloved Cane Corso, Amon, after thirteen years together.
For Šantak, ‘Abyss of Crawling Shadows’ was a necessary expression of his loss after a long period of grieving. It is a manifestation of the intangible heaviness of loss, translated into a stunning articulation. The track is packed with imagery that is as bleak as it is evocative. While some might view the imagery as extreme, it is an honest expression of the reality of losing a loved one.
Despite the dark personal territory at the core of the song, it is interwoven with uplifting, empowering messages as Šantak looks for a glimmer of light. The closing lyrics, ‘While demons laugh, I rise unbound – defiant in abyss’, offer comfort and serve as a reminder of one’s personal strength. ‘Abyss of Crawling Shadows’ is Šantak’s attempt to preserve Amon’s memory through Trivan.
I found ‘Abyss of Crawling Shadows’ to be an earnest, profound and relatable work of art. It is intense, cathartic and hopeful, simultaneously sanguine and scathing, much like grief itself. ‘Abyss of Crawling Shadows’ is exactly the type of comfort that anyone experiencing grief will appreciate.
