Bragança is far away. Separated from everything and
everyone, sheltered in her white, cold and welcoming mantle. Isolation is
positive, make no mistake. “Those who live beyond Marão, and the rulers”. I
have always seen Bragança as that distant castle, isolated and submerged in a
mist that is very much its own. It is that tight hug. It turns out to be a land
that requires an immense immersion, a difficult “digestion”. For many, being
away hurts. Being away is a burden. Being far away is an impossibility of... of
something, of someone, of a light in the background.
Nevertheless, Art survives these impediments and
realities... Insómnia Pálida is one of the examples of this perseverance.
Alongside Ventre Maligno (which has ceased activities in the meantime), Silêncio
(which I believe are now… dead) and Dark Alchemy, it demonstrates that distance
is not an impediment.
The project dates from 2018, if I am not mistaken.
Project by a single musician, it has been growing, not only in notoriety but
also in sound quality. From its beginnings more associated with DSBM, where the
identity of Portugal prevailed (essentially in the way the guitar was inserted
in the final work), to the days when Raw Black Metal took power from the
essence of the artist, we have observed a metamorphosis that has passed
alongside many.
The national scene has been growing in an absurd way,
reaching the point of creating projects that should never even have left the
minds of its actors! The waves that drag the good, the bad, and the very bad,
are saturating. We have reached a point where we want people to stop creating.
This sounds mean and insulting, but I do not really care, honestly...
Project after project, trying to replicate the most
Raw and Primitive Black Metal possible, and rarely does something impactful
come up. What is, then, different about Insómnia Pálida? I am biased, since I
feel in the project a little of what the city of Bragança is, and that
overwhelming – and sometimes harmful – breath. During my years in the city, I
felt that each door was closed, that this was the end of the road. That Marão
had successfully barred the passage! I felt that that city, lost behind the mountains, far
away, castrating and jailing, would submit us to its will...
However, if it is true that the Mind does not let
itself be bowed down by limitations, and that imagination flies high,
creativity also accompanies them. In addition, it is exciting to envision what
the Human Being can achieve when he dedicates himself and imposes himself to
overcome barriers.
Melancholy, latent depression, longing and sadness,
along these lines was the basis of Insómnia Pálida's music when he saw the
first rays of life. Suffocating and strangely comforting, that is how I
describe Insómnia Pálida's music when I heard it for the first time, and
discovering that this project had been born in the oppressive lands of
Trás-os-Montes, filled my chest with pride!
I saw the project grow and change its face. Never in
its entirety, fortunately. There was always a trace of that beautiful
depression, that heartbreak that lulls us to sleep. Moreover, that was the mark
that distinguished him from the rest. The atmospherics of Ventre Maligno, the
almost Symphonic / Shoegaze of Dark Alchemy, and the brilliant music of Silêncio
(which together with “Razors”, by Insómnia Pálida, make up the Split released
in June 2018), these were the examples of Black Metal in the "Real
North".
This Spilt shows the collaborative mind at work. A
very DSBM base, slow and draggy, heavy and almost agonizing. It is, perhaps, my
favorite Insómnia Pálida track, and Silêncio will always be one of my favorite
projects coming out of the wonderful Kingdom. Absurd and revolting as we still have
not had the right to more.
Mention needs to be made to the next Split with an
international project – Morte Perpetua – in the form of "Wander Through
the Depths of the Void". A harsh and abrasive image of Raw and Primitive
Black Metal. Insómnia Pálida displays anger and revolt, embracing 100% the Raw
Black Metal side of his artistic persona.
June 2021, and I get a message saying that Insómnia
Pálida has released a new Demo! My Brigantino side, the emotional one, is
quickly disposed to admire the news! “Razors”, THAT track! Rerecorded,
restructured, recreated... dragged down into the depths of human disgust, the
spoils of carnage and human desolation. What did it give us? It gave us
dimension and depth to creation. Raw and primitive, but the melody is all
there. It was... Sublime. Now yes, it has reached its highest point!
Will he now be able to break the barriers, and go further?
It is funny that I know people, foreigners (and nationals, obviously), who
greatly appreciate the work of this young Brigantino, but our Underground, our
scene, continues to ignore, for the most part, the sound that comes from the
lands of Trás-os-Montes.
I say again that “Razors” is an excellent
representation of what is good about DSBM: the feeling of Despair, Emptiness
and Death, without falling into unnecessary clichés and artifices. We can look
at these 3 tracks in another way. We can look at them as a journey, with vicissitudes
and mood swings... so real for each one of us. The exile with which we are
received ends up opening doors, and allowing passage to softer and more
welcoming images. “Monorrimo” is a perfect way to endthis article.
But, once again, the machine moves and presents us
with a split with Íngreme. Íngreme is another Black Metal entity from this Reino
Maravilhoso (Wonderful Kingdom), and it shows a different side to Black Metal; Insómnia
Pálida, on the other hand, does not drift away that much from his origins. In fact,
we sense that his skills are definitely growing, and his creative side has been
pushed further by his "opposition" in Íngreme.
"O covil das bruxas tem portais para o
passado perdido".
As mentioned before, on this Split we see him mess
around with diverse melodies and overall structures. Was not expecting, but enjoyed
it a lot. 2022 came and more releases it brought. We are not going on a
chronological path, but exploring his music and how if flows from release to
release. As I have mentioned before, he drifted away from the more Depressive
and Melancholic side of his Black Metal from the release of "Gritos de Dor
no Profundo Inferno" up until – more or less – his Split with Morte
Perpetua. "Ruídos Residuais" took as back his more depressive facet,
and it resulted immensely well. "O Culto Do Mal E Da Violência" gives
us a more Raw and Visceral Black Metal, it almost represents a different moment
in time and life, a need to release demons. Perhaps…
The Split with Íngreme has already been mentioned, and
we reach 2022, and one of the best releases I heard this year. "Surtos Psicóticos"
is a collection of 3 tracks of his trademark sound: Depressive and Melancholic,
without ever falling into clichés and such. We can hear that he has (almost)
perfected his sound to the point where we can almost immediately identify his
sound as his. But 2022 was not over and we got a new track "Os Filhos de
Irae (drug abuse rehearsal)", and I do hear the influence that IRAE might
have had on the artist. Black Metal with a particular scent to it…
experimentation. Liked it…
Bragança, high on the hill, imposing and majestic.
Beyond Helvete - “Anthem of Decay” (Immortal Frost Productions, 2022). Immortal Frost Productions has given us 2 tremendous Black Metal works this year: Corpus Christii and Pyra. Both different, but both within the realm of Black Metal (and Death Metal). This work, by Beyond Helvete, is the 3 rd IFP work I have access to, and we again drop into the universe of Black Metal. Slightly different from the already mentioned ones, but still ferocious and full of power. Beyond Helvete has been around since 2007, and Natrgaard, the man behind it, has been delivering the goods. Imagine the strength of a band like Marduk, that endurance, that consistent show of power… Beyond Helvete lives in a similar bubble, although not reaching the quality the Swedes have gathered throughout these many years of presence in the Black Metal Global scene. Nonetheless, it sounds as a good example to describe one of the facets of the German musician without limiting it to A or B. The track that names the alb...
Psychonaut 4 “… Of Mourning” (Immortal Frost Productions, 2024) Psychonaut 4 have been spreading their specific human condition for several years now, 14 to be more precise, and only now have I contacted their sound! The name was well-known, but the music was not. I have never been a fan of the more depressive side of the genre, and these lads live inside that sphere; thing is, their sound has small details that sound differently. There is a different dynamic in all their sound, an almost progressive and psychedelic approach. No, not a Floydian one, ok? They have guitar solos that sound quite cheerful. Wait… are they not on the depressive side of the globe? Maybe they are… The more you listen to this record, the more you are able to hear the different moments the band has crafted. Several emotions and stages of existence. Funny how their sound has these 2 opponent personas: sadness and joyfulness. Well, I can hear and feel moments of clarity and clear skies. But sadness does ...
Kratti “Matka Kohti Kosmista” (Signal Rex, 2024) “Kratti are the ascending newcomers of the bleak fields of Finnish Black Metal!” That is one bold statement, right? You need to be good at something before you go out and say that. Well… let’s find out. Kratti is a 3 man Finnish straight to the throat Black Metal act. They do have a point when they state they are the “…ascending newcomers…”, for their sound is stone cold ripping Black Metal. It is Finnish, and you can almost feel it in your bones. The melodies merged with that Finnish violence – that is not violence, but a harsher approach – that we all love. Come on! It is hard not to enjoy what the Finns have been doing for decades, their mastered sound, their own vision of Black Metal… Kratti goes down that path, successfully, and oh man! I was never into complex music, maybe due to my Hardcore Punk background, so when a band goes straight to the point, I am in for the ride. To say that these lads are doing something tha...
Comentários
Enviar um comentário