The Weight of the Mask is the fourth studio album by British post-hardcore band Svalbard, released on 6 October 2023 through Nuclear Blast Records. It is the band's first album for the label, as well as their first with bassist Matt Francis.
Background and recording
In September 2020, Svalbard released their critically lauded third album, When I Die, Will I Get Better?, with the band supporting its release with tours of Europe and the United Kingdom in 2021. In June 2022, the band signed to Nuclear Blast Records. Signing with Nuclear Blast was a "dream come true" co-lead vocalist and lead guitarist Serena Cherry, as most of the bands she was inspired by (including Nightwish, her favourite band) had released albums through the label. By September 2022, Svalbard had started writing new material for their fourth studio album.
Cherry said that the writing process of The Weight of the Mask "wasn't a relaxed process" for Svalbard, due to the band's fears of not being "good enough" for Nuclear Blast and the pressure of living up to the acclaim of When I Die, Will I Get Better?; they ended up scrapping half of their material written for it. The band worked on material together at their practice space in Bristol; although half of the band's members were split between there and London, they arranged to meet up on weekends instead of "[emailing] each other riffs". Cherry has said: "[Svalbard] write collaboratively, and we all write in the room together, in the moment". In February 2023, the band recorded the album with long-time producer Lewis Johns at The Ranch Production House in Southampton. Cherry said that "When you've worked with a producer for so many years, you feel so comfortable fully expressing yourself in the studio", and that that Johns provided her with "a safe space" to express her emotions, both musically and lyrically.
Composition and lyrics
Musically, Kerrang! described The Weight of the Mask as "dancing on the lines that sit between metal, hardcore and blackgaze". Cherry said that the album features more technical guitar parts, with some sections lacking the use of reverb effects (which has been prominent on the band's past output). The album also introduces violins to Svalbard's sound, performed by the band's rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist Liam Phelan. Cherry compared their use to My Dying Bride. Svalbard had previously attempted to incorporate violins on When I Die, Will I Get Better?, but felt that they "didn't sound right" for the album.
The Weight of the Mask was described by Bandcamp as "the first Svalbard album that’s thematically focused entirely inward"; its lyrics focus on themes of mental health, anxiety, depression and love, eschewing the social and political themes of their previous albums completely. Cherry consciously avoided the use of metaphors in her lyrics, opting for a plainer and more direct approach: "I [wanted] it to be as though I'm there talking to them ... I think there's something really, really powerful in being completely honest and open and down to earth, about depression and the reality of depression, rather than dressing it up in a poetic manner. Hopefully, in being so direct about it, I can make others feel like they're not alone with what they're going through."
"Faking It" is about the problems that forced positivity can have on those who suffer from depression, who "can feel guilted into putting on a happy mask". "Eternal Spirits" was written as a tribute to deceased musicians within the metal community; the song was specifically dedicated to Joey Jordison, former drummer of Slipknot, who died in 2021.
Release and promotion
On 27 February 2023, Svalbard released "Eternal Spirits" as the lead single from The Weight of the Mask. After the single's release, Svalbard joined Cult of Luna for a tour of Europe from 17 March to 31 March 2023. On 12 July 2023, Svalbard announced the release of The Weight of the Mask and released "Faking It" as the album's second single. On 15 August 2023, "How to Swim Down" was released as the third single, coupled with an animated music video by Boy Tillkens. The band embarked on a second tour of Europe between 14 October and 21 October 2023.