73rd part of short reviews.
ЛИХОЛЕСЬЕ – Shamanic Twilight
Year of release: 2021
Label: Infinite Fog Records
Rating: 6,8 / 10
Having perfected his formula of folklore ambient on "The Mist of Transition", Sever decided to test himself in a new role (and at the same time, perhaps, to attract the attention of the Western wider audience). “Shamanic Twilight”, as you might guess, refers to the topic of shamanism, doing it in an appropriate tribal sound with all the necessary attributes - jew's harp, all sorts of unusual drums and pipes. In terms of sound, design and aesthetics, the album came out top-notch. This is the world level - there is no doubt about it. Look at the cover, on which a silhouette rises from the fire - you just can't catch such a frame. But when it comes to music, Sever went too far. Too much dynamics, too much body movement. In my opinion, he should have gone in the direction of PALEOWOLF or renewed PRAGNAVIT, where a crowd of people can beat drums and howl like a bunch of madmen but the music will still be hypnotic. On “Shamanic Twilight” there is too much, I apologize for the expression, gypsiness, which in my head somehow does not combine with the wise northern spirit of ЛИХОЛЕСЬЕ. Fans of WARDRUNA or HEILUNG profanals will probably love it.
NIADH – Our Victory Is Eternal
Year of release: 2016 / 2021 (this version)
Label: Eternal Death (this release)
Rating: 6,66 / 10
Nice Colombian black metal, which diligently pretends to be Finnish or old German, but still gives itself away with the goat on the cover. Their music is based on cold melodic riffs that have a rather dreary character due to their poor alignment with the rhythm. All in all, it is not necessary to listen to this album at all, but I do not want to scold it either.
SPORAE AUTEM YUGGOTH – The Plague of the Aeons
Year of release: 2020
Label: Personal Records
Rating: 6,9 / 10
Death / Doom Metal from guys from Chile who love to read Lovecraft and, apparently, smoke marijuana. I draw this conclusion from the fact that at least half of their riffs are too close to stoner-doom, despite the coffin sound. As soon as you begin to feel the transcendental evil that feeds the music of the Chileans, suddenly another awkward, stoned riff or chord breaks everything to smithereens. In fact, the effect is quite unusual, and it will probably hook someone, but not me.
SARMAT – RS-28
Year of release: 2021
Label: self-release
Rating: 6 / 10
The band, named after a Russian ballistic missile, comes from Poland and plays typical Polish Blackened Death Metal in the vein of you know who. On the one hand, it’s surprising that this style still attracts someone, but on the other hand, the fact that the album came out as self-release is also very indicative. SARMAT is hopelessly lagging behind the leaders in terms of talent and simple energy, but the style still obliges to something, so the album is performed, recorded and mixed at a very high level. In addition, the group achieved a global goal, creating an atmosphere of ruthless all-out war in the music. In general, if for some reason you like figures like HATE, AZARATH, LOST SOUL, DIES IRAE, TRAUMA and so on, pay attention to this album.
PA VESH EN – Maniac Manifest
Year of release: 2021
Label: Iron Bonehead Productions
Rating: 7,8 / 10
PA VESH EN continues to evolve in small but fast steps, honing its deranged sound. I have nothing to add to what I have already said about his music in previous reviews, and I don’t want to repeat myself. “Maniac Manifest”, when compared to the previous album, has strangely become both more and less comprehensible. The songs have become even better, and the sound is more meaty, but at the same time, the music has gone deeper into the shadows, and in order to catch it, you must first reach out. If this continues, PA VESH EN will turn into black ambient. The general mood, of course, is still fucked up; depressive melodies hit the target and cut you deep.
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