Year of release: 2021
Label: Duplicate Records
Rating: 7 / 10
I received the debut full-length of the Ukrainians MERZOTNA POTVORA for review even before the release, but - absolutely unexpected for myself - stuck with this review for a long time. It's time to either shit or get off of the potty, so I am writing this review, although I still do not fully understand what is wrong here.
The group did not change horses on the crossing, continuing to play angry and cheerful thrash metal with fast guitars, over-the-top lyrics on Ukrainian latin and the same unique rural flavor as before. Everything is still simple, even primitive. Dry guitar picking, barking vocals, mini-solos on one note, dance rhythms that make you want to stomp, slap and whistle, waving your hat. For small details, go back to my review of the EP, because I don't want to repeat myself. Aside from the main songs, there is an adapted cover of RAZOR and the remake of one of the songs of KOZA DEREZA - the very band that gave birth to MERZOTNA POTVORA. All in all, the musical form is excellent, the performance has also improved, the sound has moved forward several steps at once. And the last is probably the reason why it is so difficult for me to perceive “Halas z pekla”. The debut EP featured a sickeningly dirty sound, as well as higher speeds and a little bit of a confused peformance. Together with all of the above, the effect was amazingly vile. I still play this CD very often. “Halas z pekla” sounds cleaner, smoother, more professional, as befits a full-length album. And the music is good. But during the listening, the feeling of a lack of some important ingredient does not leave me. It's like I'm eating soup without bread. Perhaps that dirt is what I am missing so much.
English (UK) 
Крыўская