Black metal and hardcore punk are, fundamentally, youthful. Not in terms of actual age, but in how the vitality of being young has shaped the rashness, violent tendencies, worldviews, and energy of both. Norwegian trio Rosa Faenskap tap into their youth to challenge the stringent parameters of traditional black metal from the inside. They are anything but traditional, however, erring closer to progressive hardcore with blackgaze tendencies, if you enjoy that sort of genre nitpicking. That was the case on their debut LP, Jeg blir til deg. Now, they tip the scales closer to black metal on their latest track, “Bygg til himmelen” (“Build to the Heavens”), which we’re premiering today. It’s the second single from their upcoming sophomore record Ingenting forblir, slated for release in March. Check the track out below.
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“Bygg til himmelen” tones down the prog to focus on repetitive tremolo riffs. So, on the surface, it’s the most “black metal” Rosa Faenskap have ever been, though it doesn’t end there. It communicates themes of rebelling against the structures we live in, operating with venom against those with power, and general spite towards the ways things are, which is what some teenagers in Bergen were trying to accomplish in the early 90s, but Rosa Faenskap go a step further ideologically, not ending at the downfall of the system but wishing to build strength around a better world. This connection only becomes obvious after reading Rosa Faenskap’s quote about the track, but it lives in the song’s hardcore punk elements; the vocals that sit between a shout and a hoarse cry, the breakdown in the bridge, the pauses between chorus and verse that recoil with feedback. It’s as if “Bygg til himmelen” was recorded in a basement rather than a wood cabin, sweat pouring down the walls, written to be played surrounded by others rather than shunning away live performances to maintain a veil of darkness.
The band comments:
The song explores the immensely destructive power of capitalism and colonialism, where those at the top blindly build toward the heavens with no regard for the hell they create beneath them. All that is beautiful and meaningful in nature and humanity is cast aside in the name of progress. Young people who wish to create change are mocked and infantilized: “Sleep now, dear child. The time for action is over.”
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Ingenting forblir releases March 3, 2026 via Fysisk Format. World vinyl preorders are available via Tiger Records.
