Pa Vesh En – “Maniac Manifest”
Black Metal might be the most subversive genre within the Heavy Metal universe. Its almost visceral desire to remain pure and honest to the premises by which the Old Ones guided their creative standards, deserves our complete respect, I dare say. Unfortunately, the genre has, at the same time, been overtaken by a massive wave of more recent fans. And why do I say unfortunately? Well, this might come out as slightly (a lot) arrogant, but I do not care, and I reckon no one does.
Black Metal goes beyond the musical expression, and I do feel that this is the guideline by which an artist must design his creative process. Nonetheless, it is true that many Black Metal musicians / artists to take their craft seriously to the point of embodying the genre. Well, not embody, but absorb its scents and poisons. Pa Vesh En, from Belarus, is one of those entities that struck the underground like a lightning when it first surfaced in 2017. The scene was already on fire, and more gasoline was thrown into the fire. Quite the “mess”. PVE’s vision of Black Metal is a quite harsh and cold one. Its almost industrial elements have always put me off, I do have to be open and honest.
I am very picky with my Black Metal, and know how I need it to sound (I believe it to be more of a need, than a childish desire), and PVE has never given me that chill, that scare… The artist does have exquisite moments, but overall, I cannot find that piece that impacts on me. Risking being lynched, I find it to be monotonous. Dark and depressive atmospheres, raw cutting melodies, possessed vocals and icy riffs, but it simply does not do it for me. “In the Wood of Hanged Men” has a very, very good guitar riff that lingers throughout the almost complete extension of the song, and it works quite well.
One other aspect that I cannot wrap my head around, is the fact that the tracks cannot seem to “fit” in each other. Ok, I do now want an album to sound like a very long song, but I want some balance (maybe not the best choice of word). I know you understand my point.
PVE has been blowing
people’s minds with his music (or maybe her), and it has quality, otherwise IBP
would have never picked it up. “Spellbound by the Witchmoon” is an ode to the
90s, correct?! That riff would fit, in my opinion… great track! Again, it
differs from previous tracks (although I do love the atmosphere the artist
created) … beautifully disgusting. While I have not been caught in its dark
wave, the World seems to prove me wrong. Mistaken I might be.
Horna – “Kuoleman Kirjo”
Horna is one of those names whose history speaks for itself. With a long and very consistent history behind them, the Finns keep on blazing with their Black Metal. It is amazing, indeed, that they have been around for so long and have always stayed true to their core, and I dare say they are not a novelty to a large majority of Black Metal fans. Alongside other Finnish names, these blokes have stepped forward and given us one more powerful expression of Black Metal. It is Horna’s Black metal sound; it is Finnish Black Metal at its best. Let us be honest: there is not a lot more to say about Horna.
They know their craft, and how to put on a show… or an album, in this case. It has that melody we know so well, and that aggressiveness that Finland’s scene has crafted, and coined, so well. It is, indeed, good to see that Shatraug is full of hate and a desire to spread it like wildfire. Along with the aggressiveness, we have a very gloomy and foggy, almost, idea to the sound. Melodic riffs and almost soothing atmospheres take over some of the tracks, showing us a band that is aging, but not dying. A twist if you may; a risky decision that paid back. “Elavana, Kuolleena” is a fine example of rhythm changes, and different ambiances. Does it fit? Oh yes it does! And there is where I appreciate them the most: when the band takes a turn, and presents slight changes, small, yet audible, changes. “Haudattujen Tahtien Yona” sounds cool, yes, cool. That start caught me a bit off guard, but I got back on my feet and embraced it.
Well, we
have reached the end of this review while the record plays one more time. Did
anyone else feel that it is too long? Over an hour it is a lot. And what about
that almost Satyricon ending for the record? Rock n’ Black… enjoy.
Sombre Héritage – “Alpha Ursae Minoris”
Black Metal has come a long way, as a musical genre. Evolution, devolution, retuning to primitive shapes and scents. Melody as part of its essence. Although I have always been a fan of that raw and stripped-down production, I kept looking for the melody that lives behind that wall of noise. This is the modern Raw Black Metal scene, where one must dig until he uncovers that melody that makes it all worthwhile. But not all melodies have to be buried. And that is a description of the Canadian Black Metal scene. How many bands can paint snowy landscapes like the Canadians? Not many. Bands like Monarque, Forteresse, Gris, Neige et Noirceur, and many others, represent that side of Canadian Black Metal that I truly appreciate.
I did not mention plenty
of bands, but my aim, now, is one of melody and dark atmospheres. Sombre
Héritage took nothing from Blasphemy, for example, but does have a place within
the more melodic and somber circle of Canadian Black Metal. Black Metal from
the 90s is the True expression of Black Metal… how would you react to such a
strong opinion? I do not see it as controversial, correct? Most of the Black
Metal fans will agree with my comment, yes? Maybe. I was never a big fan of
Blasphemy, Conqueror, or Revenge. Although the World loves this side of the
Canadian Black Metal scene, I still believe that the true essence of its Black
Metal lives in those artists that captured the essence of the 90s, and added that
melancholic, almost romantic, element. Sombre Héritage has the strength of
Black Metal, while holding a melancholic – and melodic – piece.
Baal – “Epitaphion”
10 years later, Baal resurfaces. From
the frozen lands of Covilhã, the scream breaks out. It was too long, without a
doubt, and it was something we hadn't expected, so it was with great pleasure
that I received the news of the return of Arcannus (Inner Helvete, Vomito na
Cruz, War Master, Immanis and War Cult Supremacy).
The multi-instrumentalist brings us,
once again, his Atmospheric Black Metal (I am aware of the limitations of the
label, and the risk to the artist's sound), in what is the 3rd work since his Demo
in 1999... so many years already?! Do not think that we are facing the alias
Atmospheric Black Metal, the one that “paints” us bucolic landscapes and
beautiful autumn forests. And the title? What message do we have behind such a
cryptic title?
For those who know the geography of
Portugal, even if vaguely, you will know that the geographical area from which
the artist behind Baal descends, is favorable to the creation of sounds more
given to melancholy and a theatrical sound depression (not DSBM, please). A bit
like Drudkh, Baal also serves as a musical vehicle for what surrounds him:
autumnal colors and still life, waiting for spring to rise again. The
production is clear enough, which enhances the music, giving it an immense
dimension!
I didn't count on this return, and I
didn't expect it to be such a strong and structured return. Arcannus'
vocalizations fill the music, feed it; the drums are superb, and I feel that
this is what drives the pace of this album. Beautiful riffs, sad and heavy... I
repeat: I didn't expect this return, but I am extremely excited for what will
come next, and that he won't make us wait for 10 years.
Vrag – “Harcom”
Music manages to “paint” feelings and
images in a fantastic way. As a rule, we can associate Black Metal with visual
realities. If we talk about Atmospheric Black Metal then, without a doubt, yes.
The icy riffs, the dragging and
“autumnal” melodies that parade before our eyes, illustrate the sounds. But is
this work blatantly Atmospheric?! I dare say not. There is, on the part of the
artist – named Roland Nebauer – a clear decision to build his tracks based on a
“network of ambiences”; there are, yes, ambient / atmospheric moments that
accompany the flow of the songs. There is that Black Metal that I associate
with other entities from the East, such as Drudkh or Negura Bunget, a resort to
traditional sounds – not in a blatant way – as a way of inserting themselves in
the landscapes that surround them.
Shades of orange and red, rainy
afternoons, that's how I “paint” Vrag's music. Formed a decade ago, “Harcom” is
the musician's third album, which has kept a fairly regular climb in
qualitative terms. The 3rd theme (“My Cross”) shows a musician giving his basic
sound, more dynamics and “life”. The guitar work is the source of energy for
this album, this artist, and everything else orbits around this one, enriching
it.
The last track, “I Say Goodbye to
Silence”, masterfully closes this work. Keep in mind: long tracks, but nothing
saturating or boring. Roland Nebauer manages, above all and in my opinion, to
escape from some of the clichés associated with Atmospheric Black Metal,
presenting something that manages to place itself, in spaces, in the DSBM, and
in others in an admittedly 90s Black Metal. Metal.
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