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 Gurthang
“Martyrium” (Immortal Frost Productions, 2024)

Another release by Belgium label Immortal Frost Productions, a label mostly associated with Black Metal in its ancestral – although contemporary at times – form, that has the courage to risk outside the “defined” lines of what is, and what is not, Black Metal. This time we have the pleasure to listen to Gurthang, a band that is not new to the scene, but new to me. From Poland they come, and since 2010 they have been blasting their way through the Underground with their blend of Black Metal with Doom and almost Drony moments.

A detail that I quite appreciate on the band’s work is their ability to balance melodic and delicate guitar parts with aggressive atmosphere, giving it this dynamic and enthusiastic sonic experience. It is quite interesting that they work the vocals as a very present instrument. Do not get me wrong, as I do know how this works, but I truly enjoyed their approach, and it does give the music a darker and heavier mood. Slow tempo and deep vocals… But fear not, for Krzysztof Ponieważ is very much capable of turning into the Black Metal vocalist the music needs.

“What the music needs”. I think this sums up my perspective on the band’s music. They do perform the way it needs to be performed, considering the moment. Yes, all bands do – or at least I believe they do – the same, but I find it exciting that all pieces fit quite well. Well, this is the band’s 8th LP, so we expect they know what the Hell they are doing, right? I enjoy their mid-paced Black Metal. I was not expecting to enjoy it this much, but this is a cool sound and a cool release! In terms of Doom… I am a Black Sabbath fan, so you can imagine the Doom I like, or the Doom I truly like, so the elements found here are not actually “my” Doom, but again, the way the band joins the pieces, and arranges them to fit each other, to come up with this record, is quite interesting.

I believe I mentioned it before, but the atmospheres the band crafts are quite interesting, providing an image I immediately associate – strangely – with H.P. Lovecraft! Under water darkness… this is what I “hear”. Well done, mates, well done. In conclusion… Give it a go! Fans of “outside the box” Black Metal might find this very interesting.


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