Metal loves its intricately delineated subgenres, but it’s always cool when a band comes along and resolutely refuses to fit into any of them. The UK’s Svalbard are one of those bands. At times, Svalbard sound like they belong within the black metal/shoegaze Venn diagram. Other times, they sound like crust or post-hardcore. They write vulnerable and emotional hooks, and they always sound huge, but they never let their feelings or their sheen get in the way of their ferocity. They stand alone.