Year: 2023
Label: Iron Bonehead Productions
Rating: 7,5 / 10
At first glance, SEVER seemed to me like some kind of shit, not even worthy of attention. The first minutes of the album, to put it mildly, are not impressive. In places, the sound almost reaches the conditions of PA VESH EN, which in this case is not a positive thing. The hyperactivity of the musician on social networks and on releasing merchandise raises strong questions about his priorities (if one-man band, after publishing one album, starts printing flags – this is too much, don't you think?). Plus this horrible lame photo…
But you just need to give the album time, and the impression of at least the music becomes completely different. SEVER artfully mixes various influences of blackened metal, sometimes even those that at first glance seem completely incompatible. For example, he manages to successfully introduce rather melodic keyboards to the apocalyptic warlike sound a-la BLACK WITCHERY and at the climax of the track give a true ritual symphonism in the style of INQUISITION. After a few minutes, he immerses the listener in a typically European majestic atmospheric metal like RUNESPELL / BLOOD STRONGHOLD, fundamentally different in terms of structural construction. Then suddenly he embarks on a very Finnish-like fast material , where the bass will play more technically and variably than the guitar. And all this is perceived as part of a whole album, as the dirty sound steals the clearest differences and aligns everything according to some common denominator.
Therefore, I urge you not to pass by. "At Midnight, by Torch Light" is an album rich in content, dynamics and atmosphere. Pleasant discoveries ahead.
English (UK) 
Крыўская 