Grave Circles - Tome II (2020)

Grave Circles' full-length debut Tome II is an exemplar on how well-placed and plotted atmospherics can transform what might otherwise be considered a bare-bones black metal recording into something far more memorable and transcendent. A sequel to the Ukrainians' 2017 Tome I EP, they've conjured up seven tracks in 43 minutes which convey an extremely consistent stylistic pattern, but possess just enough dynamic variation and range that the entire package seems bleakly satisfactory. With so much of their sound still rooted in convention, it would be incorrect to apply them a tag like 'progressive black metal', but instead they embellish the grim core of the medium with a few welcome and unexpected ideas or instruments that only expand the compositional quality.

Oblique, churning black metal with driving percussion is permeated with dissonant thrash riffing passages that lend it some balance and clarity, as well as a number of forays into cleaner, haunting guitar repetitions which manage to maintain the nearly depressive mood. Brass instruments are successfully implemented into the tracks "Predominance" and "Abstract Life, Abstract Death", and rather than giving off a jazzier or big-band aesthetic, they feel like esoteric, brooding architecture that works so well with the pitch darkness of the metal. The drumming is well fit to the rest, restrained for the more eerily soothing sequences with the clean guitars, but shifting into tribal, thundering grooves or blast beats where called for. Deep choirs often ramp up the haunting somnolence, while there will occasionally be some break where a more melodic tremolo picked black metal land will elevate the musical landscape an octave above its morbid foundations. The bass is dim and dingy and does not often stand apart from the guitars, but it lends a thicker texture to the simple, primordial patterns of chords and a little added punch to those more thrash-minded rhythm guitars.

The vocalist here, Baal, is actually the current drummer for infamous black metal outfit Peste Noire, so there is one French connection, along with Les Acteurs de l'Ombre Productions, the label which is giving this its proper CD and vinyl releases for 2020. His timbre ranges from a gravelly and effective rasp to a more guttural intonation, and I definitely loved the painful sustain he'd put on some of his higher pitched lines, which were borderline DSBM. Combine that with the horrifically grim art and layout of the attractive digipak, or the lightless pessimism of the lyrics, which fucked me up several times as I was reading through and listening, and you might get the impression that this album would fall rather solidly into that niche of black metal. But Tome II has less of a raw, distant, frostbitten or knifing, sound to it, and more like an immediate murkiness that is creeping upon you from the black soil and cracked bedrock, so I wouldn't quite place it into that category, but more as a go-between for those who like their candles snuffed out but to later survive the experience. Either way, a strong and recommended release for those with a diet of dread and hopelessness.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10]

https://www.facebook.com/gravecircles/

Zgard - Contemplation (2014)

I've always got this soft spot for grandiose, atmospheric pagan black metal. Even when it's a bit shy on the memorable riffing, just that over the top use of keys, vocals in tongues foreign to me, all of it serves as some quasi-cultural escapism that compensates for the 'cheese' and bombast arguably inherent to the entire medium. I bring this up because Zgard, a one-man Ukrainian project, seems to encompass and embrace most of these traits without apology, and on his fourth full-length album seems to collide the aesthetics of bands like Summoning, Burzum, Graveland, Hellveto and Gontyna Kry into an emotionally powerful, if not entirely memorable experience. It took me to a place. Held me there. Not much more can I ask of it...

Laborious, workmanlike riffing which ranges from spacious and dissonance chords to lightly thrashing palm mutes, drenched in simple synthesizer patterns that resemble a steady and slow  Carpathian accumulation of snow, or a raven in flight at half speed. I don't really get tired of the sort of rasp Yaromisl metes out, tortured like a hybrid of Vikernes and Darken, always convincing even if the syllabic lines he intones are quite simplistic. But really, for as packed a record this is in overall atmosphere, it's all quite minimal and predictable. The guitars and synthesizers rarely surprise, and the flute playing is only added for emphasis, it rarely evades the basic chord progressions behind the tunes. Drums are programmed it seems, but so suppressed in the structural composition of these tracks that you won't really notice or mind, since they just don't play a major role when run against the keys, vocals and guitars.

There's one scintillating ambient piece here ("Silence") which I absolutely adored, if for no other reason than it cultivated nostalgia for old fantasy films of the 80s, or rather what I'd perceive might appear in such a cinematic sojourn. But Yaromisl also paces the album really well, with a lot of variation. The more soothing pieces are contrasted with the more uptempo, mug-swilling surge in "Incarnation Memory" which is marginally reminiscent of Bathory's viking metal if you threw on a mouth-harp and some haunted, wavering folk vocals. In the end, though, this is unlikely to appeal to a listener who has a vested disregard for synth-heavy pagan metal, and we're talking a more saturated sound than, say, Kroda. Personally, I didn't find it amazing, but immersive and at times enjoyable, enough that I plan to get around to the earlier material from 2012-2013 which I missed out on. An album for wintry dreamers into Caladan Brood, Summoning, Rivendell, and their ilk.

Verdict: Win [7.5/10]

https://www.facebook.com/Zgard

Slaughter Brute - Systematic Transmutations (2012)

With a handle like Slaughter Brute, you'd expect this Ukrainian act to pull out all the stops and deliver one of the most grinding, grueling and grotesque experiences in death metal. And yet, there's a curious level of refinement to their compositional skills which renders their sophomore outing Systematic Transmutations slightly less crushing and more adventurous than I was predicting. Not that it's necessarily anything new in terms of technique or versatility, but there's just so much happening on this album that you're never given a moment's breath to think much about it. Of course, all of the traits common to brutal/tech death metal are present: pavement pounding double bass beats, guttural barked vocals, punching grooves and arpeggio skills all collapse into a controlled chaos.

This is 100% one of those mildly progressive, surgical and scientific albums which is not going to appeal to anyone whose idea of death metal ends at around 1993 and can't seem to stomach anything that isn't simply an endless recycling of those early aesthetics. Slaughter Brute has far more in common with acts like Spawn of Possession, Psycroptic, Necrophagist and Beyond Creation than Grave and Incantation. Systematic Transmutations is also a pretty clean recording, with little atmospherically occurring beyond the instruments themselves. The harried, machine gun percussion is polished and placed straight against the ears, while the guitars tone is thin and punchy enough to handle the rhythmic acrobatics, with plenty of digitized effects on the lead harmonies and upstart melodies to counteract the mute-streams and picking spasms. The bassist is particularly good, shifting between a low tone and some plunkier hysterics, and I found myself often following what he was rolling out beneath the frenetic arpeggios and contained chugging sequences. In truth, all of the instrumentation is up front and personal, clean but not so sterilized that it doesn't feel reproducible in a live environment, and if you think about it, this is fairly essential for a band performing which such precision timing.

The lyrics revolve around mind control and other forms of scary experimentation, dystopian technologies and a few traumatic situations like "Victim of Incest", so it's not strictly the gore, rape, and necrophiliac violation; it may, at times, actually try to make a point, and it's clearly more unique and interesting than their first album. Though the band's logo and the title font here are kinda cheap looking, the artwork is quite excellent, an H.R. Giger-styled fusion of bio-organic forms and machinery with a sexy symmetry that provides almost an optical illusion. Ultimately, I got quite a lot out of the record after numerous listens, with particular favorites in "Not Learned Integrants", "Hypoxemia Neural Phenom" and "Cyanotic Purulence". The intro and interlude pieces are well done, short ambient segues which reflect the band's futuristic ideas. It's neither perfect or incredibly memorable, and it won't be for everyone, since it's almost the antithesis of the Autopsy and Incantation worship currently trending; but if you're open to this sort of spurious and clinical modern death, then these guys should be added to your radar.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

http://www.slaughterbrute.com/

Ezophagothomia - Instinct of Inhuman Devourment (2011)

At long last, the medical knowledge of brutal death metal musicians has surpassed my own; I hadn't the faintest freaking clue what this Ukrainian band's name, Ezophagothomia meant, and after a brief skim of online dictionary resources, I still do not. Not that anyone can really read the logo here in the first place, but I must admit it looks great over the Jon Zig artwork; this guy once again earns his paycheck as one of the finest cover illustrators in the genre, pretty much guaranteed to make your band look effective, and really, I could stare at Instinct of Inhuman Development all day it's got such a great balance of colors and ghastly details. But could I keep listening to it all that time? Yes and no.

Ezophagothomia plays a very structured and chug-heavy brand of slamming/brutal death which would hardly seem a novelty to anyone's ears, and the focus here is almost entirely on the production and intensity rather than the songwriting. They're not exactly terrible at coming up with riffs, because the sheer mechanical confidence of the constant palm muting in of itself can prove entertaining, but like a lot of albums in this niche, the tracks do begin to run on into one another and lack much individual distinction. That said, they're not without some degree of variation in terms of how they pace themselves: deep, muscular grooves are morphed into even slower, bruise & cruise rhythms and occasionally they'll pick up the tempo like the blast in their cover of Mortal Decay's "Rejoice in Moribund". Lots of squeals of various pitch are used to cap off individual guitar phrases, in true brutal USDM fashion, while many of the riffs certainly drew their inspiration from names like Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation and Morbid Angel somewhere down the line.

It's truly the guitar tone that is the star of the show here, it's so rich and full and percussive that it really steers all the action, almost keeping the time more than the drums. Almost guaranteed to please fans of similar acts like Kraanium, Ingested and Abominable Putridity. However, the beats are quite competent with loads of double bass sequences that grind the listeners' bones into pulp. Vocals are a brooding guttural which is often held out and garbled to the point that it creates its own, nihilistic droning gurgle effect. The bass is low and bouncy, but often hard to make out over the squeals and meat of the guitar tone. What the Ukrainian beasts savages seek here is to present the listener with a roiling, fit-for-pit wall of force, and to that extent, at least they succeed. Seeking to score your next fist fight, or to practice the zombie walk? Instinct of Inhuman Devourment would provide a reasonably functional soundtrack to such activities.

Ultimately, though, the incessant, knee-breaking, battering ram grooves that comprise most of the album are in dire need of enhanced atmosphere. Whether this is through the incorporation of wailing lead guitars, which the band seems to avoid, or a greater abundance of the morbid ambiance they capably evoke with the intro and outro track, I was constantly thinking to myself that another layer of musicality would go a great distance towards better attaining my attention. These guys are certainly decent at digging into a brutal breakdown and lathering it with a broad growl, but those become the highlights of the album, and tracks like "When Earth Will Be Tired of Us" and "Parasitic Vivisection" would have been better served with starker contrasts, like higher pitched guitars that counterbalance the feckless low end concentration. From a technical standpoint, I liked the execution of the guitar tone and the packaging to this disc, but it's not much more memorable than the last time you stubbed a toe...which is sort of the point, I'll grant you, but not always the hallmark of greatness.

Verdict: Indifference [6.5/10]

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ezophagothomia/207443599286767

Narrow House - A Key to Panngrieb (2012)

Though Ukrainians Narrow House hail from a tradition of soul leeching, somber funeral doom, the sound they've adopted for their debut A Key to Panngrieb is actually far brighter, more atmospheric, and their wise incorporation of instruments like a cello and synthesizers helps give this music a far larger breadth than if they had merely trudged along with the same lifeless, disaffected lurch as so many others in this niche. Granted, this debut is not incredibly menacing or sad. It's also not riff-heavy: the simple structure of the chords functions as little more than foundation for the guttural resonance of the front man, while the orchestral swells and ambient passages provide that extra 'push' preventing the heavy limbs from a festering ennui.

So spacious is A Key to Panngrieb, that you can discern each snare, cymbal and kick of the drummer, as if he was storing up all this pent up emotion and aggression into the most minimal of strikes. The bass strums along like the failing pulse of a dying heart, full but at the same time quite sparse over the raw banks of the guitar distortion, while the cello plucks along like a chamber musician witnessing one of Edgar Allen Poe's liquor fit depressions. The vocals are a pure growl, something like Shape of Despair where he lets his intonation ride out over each syllable in time with the drudging undercurrent, but they often take on a higher, rasped pitch, or even sink into a guttural mumble. The keys definitely create an otherworldly choir of sadness through their own simple repetition; never complex or intricate in terms of their composition, more like a procession of mourning angels slowly swaggering to the precipice of some eternal pit and then thrusting themselves down to its depths with mechanical precision. Guitars do often pick up pace to a flood of chords or chugs, as with the closer "Под Маской Этой" (a cover of Esoteric's "Beneath This Face"), where they even lovingly tease a blast beat...

However, I wouldn't have minded more variety to these patterns, perhaps more implementation of sad, swelling guitar harmonies that could even play better off the cello. Like most albums in this type, A Key to Panngrieb fights an uphill battle to remain interesting across the 11-14 minute long songs that represent 75% of the track list. I actually liked the extended intro to the album, with speech samples, brooding synthesizers and low piano hits; I also thought the production was excellent, nothing murky or difficult to process; and the surreal artwork is quite compelling. But with music that moves so slowly, I feel like the chord progressions need to be incredibly capable of conjuring despair, and these were just sort of average in doing that job. Narrow House succeed here by virtue of their enormous atmospherics, but they've got plenty of space in which to further experiment. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this to fans of the more dry, psychedelic droning doom inherent to Skepticism or Thergothon, but more to those who like the simpler, mourning crush of Evoken, Shape of Despair, perhaps even My Dying Bride.

Verdict: Win [7/10]

http://narrowhouse.bandcamp.com/

Thunderkraft - Totentanz (2012)

Thunderkraft released a fairly excellent debut effort, The Banner of Victory, back in 2005, which provided an interesting spin on the death metal genre involving lots of symphonic elements, a touch of industrial and groove metal and pagan warfare lyrics one generally associates with artists of a more directly heathen/black metal style. It's taken the Ukrainians some time for a followup, but it's arrived in the form of Totentanz, a more accessible and dynamic sophomore. There have been a few changes, namely in the less brutal choice of vocals and a stricter adherence to melodic black metal progressions in the riffing, but in general they paint with the similar broad strokes that such an eclectic hybrid would naturally imply.

A lot of the electronic ingredients tend to accumulate in the intros to pieces like "Mass Defect", "A Crumpled Story" and "Totentanz" itself, frivolous and brief techno sequences that tend to part when the metal riffing arrives, but there are points at which they play a more prominent role, as with "Towards a New Dawn", more or less a martial ambient track into which a beat kicks up and lots of cutting vocals, thumping drums create a pompous atmosphere. Personally I found that tracks like "A Crumpled Story", which balance sampled strings with death/thrash riffs and lots of industrial clanging and more progressive passages provided the most interesting and memorable highlights of the album, but it's a fairly consistent listen throughout provided you don't have an inherent aversion to such major use of synthesizers and lack of a punishing or truly carnal environment in the production and guitars.

Not a lot to compare this to. Perhaps a dash of Germans Die Apokalyptischen Rieter or a more electronically infused alternative to Nokturnal Mortum's folksier exhibitions. Perhaps a metalized, symphonic EBM. A few of the dirtier, groove oriented rhythms felt pretty shabby and 'jump the fuck up' to me, in particular that riff coursing through "The Future World". I also felt that the vocals for the previous album were a lot stronger. But those small gripes aside, the band gets some credit for sticking its necks out and attempting something different. With members of Astrofaes, Munruthel, and other Ukrainian alumni they've drawn upon a wide range of sounds to tread outside their normal proving grounds, and there's quite a lot to engage the ear, even if it won't all stick to the listener.

Verdict: Win [7/10]

http://www.myspace.com/thunderkraft

Old Silver Key - Tales of Wanderings (2011)

On paper, a collaboration between the membership of the Ukraine's Drukdh and prolific French artisan Neige (he of Alcest, Lantlôs and numerous other projects) seems a natural fit. Both specialize in nature worship, depression, and drifting compositions with a lot of wall of sound guitar styling and subtle twists of melody. The two also share a cross-section of admirers, carving a large chunk out of that swath of solemn and modern shoegazing populace who have turned their sights upon the permutations of the black metal genre into the terrain of post-rock, indie rock, or what have you. Well, the time has arrive, and Old Silver Key is that very collaboration; Tales of Wanderings the anticipated debut through Season of Mist.

Let me preface the rest of this review by stating that Tales of Wanderings is not by any stretch of the imagination a metal album. So those expecting a black metal coupling of the two parties had best be prepared for something exponentially lighter on the ears and spirit. There might be a few tremolo picked passages here or there redolent of the genre, akin to Enslaved's excellent Vertebrae or perhaps the German band Island, but these are marginal at best. Old Silver Key is instead another chance for Neige to flex his 'soft side', far softer even than Alcest, while it simultaneously allows Roman, Thurios and crew to delve even further along the course they had started with some of their recent fare (Microcosmos, Handful of Stars). Unfortunately, while it does have a few moments of appreciable bliss and escape, some tranquil sparks of variation that allow the listener to feel he or she is walking on air, Tales of Wanderings falls well short of either of its progenitor's mainstays in terms of quality.

In fact, this is for the most part a lame and tired pastiche of indie/emo rock cliches without the strong songwriting to support it. Granted, I'm not an Alcest fan to begin with, but I've enjoyed a number of Drudkh's past releases (Blood In Our Wells in particular), and I'm a bit disappointed to see their ideas wearing thin. Yet as jaded, pedestrian and unmemorable as most of the music on this album seems, it is the vocals which drive it over the edge towards irritation. Neige has never impressed me in this field, at least not with his clean tones, but with Tales of Wanderings he has completed his transformation into any-random-hip-kid-singing-the-adolescent-blues-at-any-random-coffee-shop-anywhere, only with English as a secondary language. His performances on tracks like "November Nights Insomnia" is naught more than dreadful, wall-gazing tripe, with no real range to it, no captivating melody, and it does the reasonably well produced music no service whatsoever.

There are particular points at which he shifts to his more graceful, higher pitch (as in "Burnt Letters"), reminiscent of Alcest's 'climactic' build-ups, but these are only superior in so much that his voice drifts off into the background, overtaken by the melodic drift of chords. How this man has developed such a following with such a wimpy, deadbeat intonation is beyond my ability to comprehend, but the fact is that Tales of Wanderings would have worked out better as an instrumental record, with another singer, or with Neige snarling the entire time to provide a strange contrast with the light-headed music. If you think this guy is a great singer, then I've got an open-air banana grove in Antarctica to sell you. Mind you, this does not excuse the music itself, much of which is derivative shoegaze rock 101 in nature, with slightly distorted streams of chords playing against soft mute streams that themselves occasionally break into chords in predictable Gothic rock fashion, but without Neige, even this might have functioned as passable elevator music.

I didn't loathe the album entirely. I'll give some credit for the snowflake-like bass lines that dust the guitars in "About Which an Old House Dreams". As limp wristed as some of the songs come off, Old Silver Key manages to somehow elude the burden of utter stagnation and monotony through their willingness to mess with tempos. Hell, "Cold Spring" even has an arguable blast beat running through its depths. Where the pianos and ambient sequences appear, they provide a flawless integration, a natural balance. The production, too, is bright and fitting. It really let's the listener feel the expanse of each guitar pattern, but then, this is pretty much the standard for a form of rock whose spiritual ancestors include Toad the Wet Sprocket, Gin Blossoms and other 90s alt radio. But at least with those bands, you had singers who were striving for those huge #1 hit single chorus parts. With Old Silver Key, it just seems like an afterthought. 'Hey, we've written some pretty chill music, let's phone in some mellow vocals and show everyone the hearts on our sleeves'. And I'm afraid, at least this time out, that this particular handful of stars have not aligned properly.

Verdict: Fail [4.25/10]

Balance Interruption - Era II: Deserts of Ashes (2011)

Serve the fucking machines! A decade ago, I might have thought that the notion of 'industrial black metal' would be such a natural that we would be seeing hundreds of acts in the field by now, creative and thinking sound scientists who would document the descent of all mankind into the great mechanism of his own conception. Granted, there are a fair number who have dabbled in the field and moved on, or persisted in some side project, but most seem content to stick with the traditional rock instrumentation to propel their sinister visions. This admitted scarcity is what makes a band like the Ukraine's Balance Interruption so special: they exhibit most of the traits of an industrial/black metal hybrid, but they do so without overly flouting their purely electronic elements. The results: revelations.

Era II: Deserts of Ashes sees the band join the ranks of Red Harvest, Aborym, Abigor and Thorns as having successfully bridged the Northern European, polished and dissonant black metal techniques into a poignant, mechanical landscape, and to have done so not only efficiently, but uniquely. As I hinted, much of the band's machine-like pacing is crafted directly through the drums and guitars, the former as precise as a factory, the latter almost tripping over themselves to channel forth riff after riff of both technical aptitude and well-oiled menace. Despite going overboard with so many elements, the band creates a persuasive cohesion. For example, take the track "Nine Octagonal Styars", which balances swerving, jazzy bass lines, robotic vocal processing, spikes of sinister dissonance, and even a strange, scratchy vocal sample into one of the most bizarre and engaging post-metal fusions beyond Norwegians Virus.

"Streams of Black Energy" features insane riffing amidst its stoic industrial applications, and the guitars just never stop arriving. "Taste of Enemy's Blood", "Fuck This World", "Deserts of Ashes" all deliver in spades, and even when the band thumps off a generic techno beat to open "Chaos Reign" it evolves into something ear catching and memorable. Probably the one element of Balance Interruption that doesn't stand out would be the stock black metal vocals, but then they're no less sufficient than most in the field. The fiber optic fabric of fusion here is well conceived and performed, and I very much recommend it to anyone interested in the hybrid of forms, especially if you enjoyed the past few albums from France's Reverence or the divisive Fractal Possession from Austrians Abigor. Plug on in.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10]

http://www.myspace.com/balanceinterruption

Monumental Torment - Element of Chaos (2011)

I was recommended this band by a person wondering "Why have I never heard these guys before?!" My almost immediate reaction was quite similar ("Shut up and take my money!"). Hailing partly from Ukraine and the US, Monumental Torment is everything Brain Drill tries to do - insane sweeping riffs, relentless freight-train drums, etc. etc. - but actually fucking does them well. In every way.

What I Liked:
The guitars (Artem Gultaev) shift from the deep groovy low riffs up to relentless sweeping to endless tech death riffs. This is the fastest tech death I have ever heard - to the point that the drums are programmed since no human could ever keep up with both what the guitars play and with what the programmed drums output (think Anaal Nathrakh not Weeping Birth). The other part of the rhythm section, the bass (Ioann Komkov), is just as musically impressive nestled quite comfortably right in the front of the mix - check out "Nameless One" for proof. I quite enjoyed the sparse keyboard passages played by bassist Ioann Komkov which I found almost gave the whole brutal tech death metal album a neoclassical feel though nowhere near the extent as say something like Fleshgod Apocalypse.

What I Didn't Like:
For the most part the vocals (Lloyd Moore Jr.) were good, flowing through the sweeps and the programmed drums with a solid brutal growl that was never drowned out in the insanity. My problem was that the vocals stayed almost entirely in that brutal growl and never really deviated or experimented save for a few passages her or there (ie. minimal layering) - and for an album otherwise quite unique, I found this to be extremely disappointing though ultimately not a serious issue.

If you only listen to one song, just listen to the title song, "Element of Chaos". This is what this album embodies - the music form of the element Chaos played by two Ukrainians and an American. There's not much more to say other than:

So why have I never heard these guys before?!

Verdict: Epic Win [9.25/10]

http://www.myspace.com/monumentaltorment

Dusk Chapel - A Passage to Forever (2010)

Seven years after the release of the perhaps all too aptly titled debut Almost Forgotten Experience, Ukrainian act Dusk Chapel have finally arrived with a sophomore full-length that capitalizes on a wealth of styles to create something mildly grandiose or epic. The roots of the material are steeped in a slightly technical thrash/death metal hybrid with a lot of mood and atmosphere, and perhaps a hint of Rotting Christ-like black metal aesthetic in the vocals. In fact, I would dare call this record a mesh of mid-period Death (Human, Symbolic) with some of the thick 90s Rotting Christ vocals and a penchant for well executed, melodic thrash metal melodies ala Megadeth or Andy LaRocque's work in King Diamond, a combo you don't often hear, and though the songs aren't drop dead memorable, I can't claim that Dusk Chapel disappoint.

The real ballast here is in the guitar work, with tautly executed leads that add a tasteful layer to the thick and punchy crush of the rhythm section. Take for example "Quasireality" or the cool "Pit of Snakes", in which you're exploring an impressive display of playing skill that never teeters off the edge of some indulgent oblivion. You might categorize the band as 'progressive', though not out of some staggering sense of originality, but in that they stand back and compose riffs that will tickle the imagination, leads and melodies that are not content to be merely brutal or blunt, but to channel elegant landscapes of mystery and suffering that scavenge about the listener's mind like the mitts of a morbid surgeon. This is further expanded upon by the circling wonders of "The Sinister Aura" or the bladed, thrash assault of "Kingdom of Joyless Bliss", the dynamism of the title track or the choppy vistas melded against the night tailing melodies of "Chasing Nightmares".

No, not every song is jam packed with memorable bits, and there is clearly some room for improvement, but considering how far the band have already come musically, the sky is perhaps the only limit here. At times, the vocals might seem a little too simple for the music, but their bloodied mannerism is certainly a welcome contrast with the thinner sequence of the dual melodies. I might also like to hear some better hard-edged riffs here, too often the rhythm guitar feels wan and unimpressive against the busier leads and harmonies. Certainly, though, Dusk Chapel have that rare nuance of sounding like a unique mix of influences, never straying too close to any one corner of their foundation, and by this strength alone the album is digestible. The band might not be tripping over themselves to become the most brutal or technical, but in turn they write songs that are good enough to take note of.

Verdict: Win [7.5/10]

http://www.myspace.com/duskchapel

Semargl - Ordo Bellictum Satanas (2010)

The term 'fun' is not something I would normally associate with black metal music, and I realize just the very notion of something being 'fun' would send all of the basement vampires back to their flocks of mold, self-loathing and decay, but I can think of no better adjective to describe the new, fourth full-length effort from the Ukraine's Semargl. Ordo Bellictum Satanas features a dozen new tracks, each of which begins with the word 'Credo', and ending with words like 'Revolution', 'Inner Evil', 'Total Krieg' and 'Possess', so you know the album is both a statement of lifestyle intentions and perhaps a little self-aware of its mockeries.

The music itself is not quite so raw or bombastic as the band's past efforts like Attack On God, and in fact it is highly refined, with clean, solid production values that rival the more popular acts out of Sweden or Norway. But the riffs are intense, well constructed from the band's myriad thrash and black metal influences with enough individual value that you'll be wondering if you've heard them before, and if not, that they're pretty brilliant. I can often hear a little Witchery here, or Slayer, or Venom, or even earlier Bathory, but the way the band uses tools like backing synthesized horns or seductive female backing vocals along the Rutarp's sneering makes for an entertaining album, more accessible than many fans of this field would be comfortable with, but kicking some ass regardless. There are also a wealth of guest musicians, including Vrangsinn (Carpathian Forest), Jonny Maudling (Bal-Sagoth, My Dying Bride), Nera (Darzamat), Novy (Behemoth, Vader, etc) and Iscariah of Immortal.

But despite all of the added perks to Semargl's production, it is the riffs which rule out the day on Ordo Bellictum Satanas. "Credo Sacrifice" is a tight opener with blazing rhythms and backing 'horns' that feel like a hybrid of Hollenthon and Horned Almighty. Complete with samples, and multi-layered snarl and growl vocals, you get a very broad, thrashing black sound here not unlike a modernized Bewitched. Other tracks which destroy due to the riffing are plenty: "Credo Possess", "Credo Bellictum Satanas", and "Credo Insanity" all rocked my socks off. But what's really strange about this band, is that they're not afraid to also throw in gothic metal elements and electronics...shifting between the two poles as if it was a natural thread of their fabric for all these years.

You can also hear this in the poppy electrics that introduce "Credo Revolution", with wailing female vocals and chugging riffs, almost as if the band were channeling Crematory or Theatre of Tragedy into a more sinister format. "Credo Total Krieg" begins with a groove bass line ala Tool and an industrial metal injection, while "Credo Flaming Rain" starts off like a total gothic metal song, female vocals and all, erupting into guitars and snarling. "Credo Dead To This World" also starts with an electronic beat, and "Credo Inner Evil" feels like straight up, catchy gothic/black metal.

I'm not sure what to think of every song here (I could really do without that opening to "Credo Flaming Rain"), but most of them are quite enjoyable, even with the infusion of modern, non-black metal elements that vary up the pace of the album quite a lot. If you've got a hate-on for big thrash rhythms, female guest vocals and electronics in your black metal, then I don't see much point in pursuing this. But approach Ordo Bellictum Satans with an open mind and you'll find a fairly diverse entity within Semargl that can entertain on a number of levels. Not as wild, nor as good as a band like Sigh, but headbanging did erupt throughout 5 or 6 of the tracks. And I would do business with them again.

Highlights: Credo Sacrifice, Credo Bellictum Satanas, Credo Insanity

Verdict: Win [7.5/10]

http://www.semargl.com.ua/

Dragobrath - Fra Myrer Taake... (2010)

Dragobrath is the curious side project of Julian Mytsyk (Kroda), performed in a more straightforward black metal style than that other band, with nearly the same level of glorious mystique and atmosphere. Fra Myrer Taake... is quite good, and quite an improvement over the previous efforts Scripture of the Woods or And Mountains Openeth Eyes.... With a solid bass-heavy sound, pummeling riffs and some eerie experimentation in the writing, the album provides over 50 minutes of competence that you will want to revisit time and time again, even if the core of the sound isn't highly innovative.

After a frightful intro with dark ambiance and whispered ritual, "Inhaling the Distant Open Far" barrels forth with a steadily charging, morbid guitar riff that cycles through a subtle shift in the drums. The bass is coagulated blood, pumping forth a thicker ooze than many such bands are so inclined to use, but it helps center the guitars, which filter off into each ear like razors to wrists. "Nightwings" teases with an acoustic segment that rather sloppily morphs into a thundering, beautiful black rhythm, the gradations of the bass line adding an atmosphere of both warmth and tumult. Title track "Fra Myrer Taake..." is fucking creepy, sauntering along at a slow bass driven by the warped bass and scratching bloodied guitar streams, and "Blazes of Starlit Firmament" is an epic, 11+ minute track full of moody desperation and raging black Ukraine majesty. Of the remaining tracks, "Crimson Leaves Dance" and "Ravenclouds" are beautiful, and the finale "Walk the Path of Sorrow" is impressive enough, with the emotional rasping of its climax and the steady picked streams.

It's no surprise that Fra Myrer Taake... is a balanced album that explores both the dark nature of mysticism and the stark beauty of the wilderness, and such fans of pagan blackness would do well to plumb its depths. There's not a lot of complexity to the riffs, but then, none is really needed to drive its atmosphere into the listener's brain like a nailgun. The album shouts loudly from the wooded hills and is certainly a strong early release for 2010. An impressive two piece band, worth checking out whether you appreciate Julian's other band Kroda or not.

Highlights: Nightwings, Blazes of Starlit Firmament, Crimson Leaves Dance, Ravenclouds

Verdict: Win [8.25/10]

http://dragobrath.musica.mustdie.ru/

Nokturnal Mortum - The Voice of Steel (2009)

Speak what ills you wish of the checkered past of the Ukraine's mightiest band...their ideologies, their hostilities, their gimmicks, and their unshakable ability to develop an increasing cult following in the face of a world that defies just about every lyrical message they pen. Nokturnal Mortum are capable of some pretty incredible music when they set their minds to it, and The Voice of Steel is the best album they have produced since To the Gates of Blasphemous Fire, 11 years past. The sound is huge and swelling, and I would dare to say this is their most accessible work, sure to enthrall the masses of come-lately pagan, folk and melodic black metal as much as the band's original fans. But make no mistake, the convictions remain firm, and this is no flighty journey into a friendly song, but a herculean effort of pagan metal that bathes in the glory of past fires and winds. It's fucking unbelievable.

The lineup here is a little different than the previous Weltanschauung. Varggoth remains on the vocals and guitars, and he sounds intense here. Saturious handles the keyboards and folk instrumentation, and they are joined by bassist Vrolok, drummer Bairoth and Astargh on the other guitar. They are also joined by several other contributing guitar players for several of the leads, as well as former fulltime members like Odalv. Yes, you could consider this some grand woodland meeting of all a near army of Ukraine's warriors, and the songs produced through The Voice of Steel shall surely become their anthem.

The horns and strings of the intro resound across the hills and copses like a narrator of ancient glories that speaks in winds, while the percussion of the earth rises to stoke the forge of our inevitable armageddon. "Голос сталі (The Voice of Steel)" arrives with thundering drums and drudging, barbaric guitar lines, before the strings conjure forth a bold orchestration, somewhat akin to Graveland if he was rocking a 30-40 piece orchestra. Vocal choirs, gnarled Varggoth vocals of Eld, and rousing flute bridges conjure one of the most powerful Northern folk metal tunes of the year, and for nearly 10 minutes you are savaged by this renewed, vital band. "Валькирия (Valkyrie)" marches across you like an entire army of risen warrior spirits, a solid block of symphonic black metal that recalls some of their stronger work of over 10 years back. It's beautiful, graceful; never once does the blade dull for over 10 minutes...even when they pull out a blues solo over the tribal folk of the mid section. "Україна (Ukraine)" could not be a more fitting tribute to the band's beautiful homeland, glistening with lovely strings and a powerful atmosphere that makes Arkona look novice (and I love that band).

The album takes a somewhat more progressive turn with "Моєї мрії острови (My Dream Islands)". It still maintains its incredibly dense atmosphere, but subtle synth rhythms and curious riffs burrow themselves into the walls of bristling spear-guitars that provide the brunt of the charge. "Шляхом сонця (By Path of the Sun)" is as broiling and catchy as the surface of the star it worships, with a glorious verse in which the vocals turn more cookie monster and manly, as the drums storm through the heavens. "Небо сумних ночей (Sky of Saddened Nights)" is a brilliant acoustic folk track, with amazing vocals and despite its brevity (well, 5 minutes if brief only when compared to its neighbors), it is one of the best songs of their career. But Nokturnal Mortum will hit you up for one more, 12 minute epic to close off this bold effort, and that is the brilliant "Біла вежа (White Tower)", which evolves through beautiful synthscapes and proggish folk wanderings into a savage majesty that calls the heart of every man to war.

Yeah, The Voice of Steel pretty much knocked me out of my seat and back through the centuries to touch my inner pagan. The sound on this album is just unreal, so much depth delivered through so many layers, and not afraid to incorporate a subtle touch of modern sounds into its rolling glories (soundtrack swells, even a little lush 80s New Age pop). This album is not quite so brutal and effective as To the Gates of Blasphemous Fire...that is to say, of the 71 minute playtime, there may have been 1 or 2 minutes in which I was not entirely enthralled. Which is not enough downtime to offer it less than the highest accolades. It's a little less dark, quite bright and positive feeling than previous albums, honestly, and for this reason it may be a 'first' for many who did not previously enjoy the band's catalog. But Nokturnal Mortum lose nothing of their desperation, of their message, or integrity here...it's just a stunning piece of music that honors both its influences (Graveland, etc) and its culture.

Highlights: the sun also rises.

Verdict: Epic Win [9.5/10]

http://www.myspace.com/nokturnal-mortum

Kladovest - Escape in Melancholy (2009)

Escape in Melancholy follows the self-titled debut from 2006 of the Ukraine's Kladovest, a band best known for being a project that involves Thurios (Drudkh, Hate Forest), who replaced the former vocalist. The material here has an even more ponderous, stripped down feel than his other bands, ever so slightly more experimental and possibly entrancing if you can sit back and absorb it. There are only four tracks on the album, but they stretch out for nearly 34 minutes. There is no immediate access here, so if you seek kinetic melodies or folkish rambling, the material of Kladovest is unlikely to please you. That is not to say these elements do not exist in a small quantity, but the strength here lies well below the crust of more obvious bands.

"Abyss of Broken Clocks" sets the stage, a 10 minute piece which consists largely of buzzing guitar rhythms that breathe out over open air. The drums do not enter until the 4 minute mark, so you really get a chance to immerse yourself in the decaying atmosphere. The instruments are all performed by Dmitriy, while the art and lyrics are created by Alexander. Thurios is simply offering his tortured rasp to the compositions. "Clocks" continues to slug along at a slow pace until a happier, melodic eruption, with a pair of guitars soaring above the raw rhythm guitar. "Gritted Fangs" is an offering of melancholic black doom over the drum programming, with some breaks for gnarled blackness that evoke a diabolic grandeur. The latter half of this track provokes the most depth and darkness on the album, but "Tead of Silk" continues to roam the fields of somber aggression, at a mid pace across the vistas of shining, threatening guitars. "Insignificant Bile" has a few moments of flowing acoustic work before the band once again surges into their driving black wasteland of sadness.

I'd consider Kladovest a minimalist black metal project, for it avoids all technicality in favor of simple, streamlined atmosphere. The result is that the album simply cannot please or unsettle you through its riffing strength alone. It is the overall, drugged out package that will hit or miss the mark, and once I had the patience to digest it's arching overtones, Escape in Melancholy did succeed by the imagery it evoked into my imagination. If you approach the work with no expectations, you may be surprised at the result. I don't think the title could be more honest.

Verdict: Win [7/10]

http://www.myspace.com/kladovest

Kroda - Cry to Me, River... (2004)

Cry to Me, River... is an impressive feat for a band formed only a year prior, an expansive debut album which very carefully incorporates synthesizers and flutes alongside its raging metal heart. Few bands, even years after this release, are so successful at fusing such elements into a lasting whole, but Kroda have done so with all three of their full-length efforts to date. This is the work of two Ukrainians: Eisenslav (who has put out one other record under the name Volvh), and the more prolific instrumentalist Viterzgir, who also works in Capitollium, Ruina, Dragobrath and his solo band Leadhaze. Both of them perform a myriad of duties on the record, and they do this better than most fully stocked 6-8 piece folk metal bands out there.

I'd like to note that one of my favorite aspects of the album is the production, which is surprisingly bright for it's lo-fi origins. The keyboards feel cheap and cheesy, Summoning level, but this makes them quite endearing and they are never a distraction. Actually I am rather blown away by just how great this record sounded, and wished I could do the same with a few friends; we would never leave the house. The do-it-yourself mentality might render many acts impotent or unprofessional, but Kroda soars within these confines. The drums sound good and centered, for a machine, and the guitars thick and juicy as mead. This is not some band to simply chug along while the flutes score some jingle they've read from their grandmother's sheet music, the riffs are quite important to the whole process. Eisenslav's vocals are harsh but well rounded, an earnest contribution to the thundering Nordic rhythms and lush, penetratin atmospheres.

The album opens, suitably, with the band's namesake intro, "Kroda", laid out in synthesizers with some flutes riding high, and a quiet bass propelling it into the "Endless Path of Legends", which spares no time in producing a glorious charging rhythm over the tinny drum machine. This soon breaks for a cheesy flute melody, but the ensuing riff more than compensates, and the track only gets better as the second blasting rhythm lays flat all disbelievers with pagan glory. "Where the Peace And Calm Were Immortalized" has an excellent, atmospheric intro and yet another of the band's blazing, emotional passages which strikes like sunlight on a snowbank, carpe diem and conquest. When the bands surges into their folksy segue at 1:30, you are right there with them, flagon (or horn) in hand and kicking the slush off your boots. "Hoarfrost of Blood" grooves and grinds and then explodes into a shower of incredible melodies, I love how the bass shifts the tone beneath the riff at the minute mark, and the track later develops this crazy atmosphere over its closing minutes.

Hoarfrost of Blood is glimmering, sparkling,
It melts, scattering by crimson ashes
By the bloody scabs it clotting,
Blackening, growing dim, disappearing in dust

Halfway through and the quality does not dip in the slightest. "Native Land" features even more of the band's ability to write convincing guitar lines within a storming mindset, raging for nearly 9 minutes with only one, very cool ambient break after six minutes. I loved the immediacy of the bells and atmosphere in "Gnarled Cudgels of Thunder" (best song title her), and the lightning rhythms and berzerk, driving flutes in the bridge. "Cry to Me, River (Betrayal of Krj)" is the last original on the album, with a cool hammering riff and another great folk breakdown. Oddly enough, the band closes out the album with a cover of Hypocrisy's "Apocalypse", from their Fourth Dimension album...yet Kroda renders the track instrumental and in their own, unique voice. It's quite good, and possibly a small improvement over the original.

Cry to Me, River... is just about as good as you can expect from a band's first effort, and one of the better debut albums of 2004. Especially for folk metal, this is an impressive and somewhat lasting album. A few of the folk/flute/keyboard parts feel samey, but this would be a larger problem if they weren't all well placed within their songs. I'm thankful that Kroda can balance this with their metal, one side never overpowers the other, and it is this rare ability which makes them stand out in a dense field of wannabes.

Highlight: listen to it outdoors, on a winter afternoon

Verdict: Epic Win [9/10] (tell by the whispering of thy drops)

http://kroda.com.ua/

Repulsive Dissection - Cut Open the Aberration (2009)

Normally I don't throw in for the brand of gore dowsed guttural secretions that a band like Repulsive Dissection vomits all across the tape, but this Ukrainian-based band (with an international lineup) wins a few points for having a rare, delightful mischief about them that makes you want to crack up even while the band is stomping on your intestines with their bewildering (if messy) musicianship. Cut Open the Aberration is the band's first full-length, following up on the Murder-Suicide EP from last year. You know what you're in for as soon as you see the malformed unfortunate on the cover: no holds barred, brutal death metal.

But Repulsive Dissection go one better. The vocals of Englishman Tom Bradfield (Infected Disarray, Beef Conspiracy) are just hilarious, given an added dose of reverb, like a chorus of bullfrogs providing play-by-play commentary on the practices of an unliscened surgery ward. If they remind you of Demilich, it's probably not unintentional. There are also Salacious Crumb counterpoint vox. The drums of Fredrik Widigs (Soils of Fate, Kraanium) are beyond human capability, the double bass is so fast you feel like it's more than one player overlapped. The riffs are circus-like, so busy and fast that they often crash and burn into one another, giving a dilapidated feeling to the band's rhythms. The bass guitar is simply maddening due to its profane, frenzied pace. The album is almost comical, but it still strolls on up to you and plants a bonesaw against your backside.

Some of the standout tracks to mine ears were the opener "Decimate", the savage thrust of "Unjust Calumniation", the spasmic bludgeoning of "Distorted Existence", and the grindslaughter of "Necessary Bloodshield". "Septicemia" (with its unexpected acoustic break) and "Swarmpit" are also...lovely...and the rest will at least have your head spinning in confusion at the band's mocking, frolicking pace. The band has a great sense for sample placement, and all of those used on this album are funny and clever without being too obvious, like in many awful goregrind bands.

Cut Open the Aberration sounds as good as it can, you really won't have time to notice any inconsistencies as you'll be busy trying to stopwatch the drums or decipher the bands unending stream of battering, punctual guitar rhythms. Bullfrogs are the icing on the cake. I was highly entertained by this debut; I won't go as far as to say it's original or even 'great', but a fun 40 minutes of blasting, darkly comic brutality.

Highlights: Decimate, Unjust Calumination, Distorted Existence, Necessary Bloodshield

Verdict: Win [7.5/10]

http://www.myspace.com/repulsivedissection

Sculpting the Venus - Awaiting of Annihilation EP (2009)

Here we have the debut EP of a fresh Ukrainian band performing a hybrid of black and death metal, with turbulent battering drums, and atmosphere provided through synthesizers and samples. There is a mild edge of experimentation to the material, and it is original, but if I had to pick, it most conforms to brutal death metal.

Pianos introduce "I See the Pentagram In Her Eyes", but quickly we are exposed to the insane, machinelike drumming of 'Saturn' and a slew of quickly chugged riffs. At the 1:40 mark of "My Memory in Ashes", the band gets ponderous, shifting the drum beat and creating laid back but fast speed picked riffs that create a nice atmosphere below the keyboards. "Destroyer, Serpent, and Eclipse" again opens like a goth metal song but then transforms into a savage beating with chugging, mechanical breaks over sparse percussion. This song really has the band delving into math metal territory. The 4th and final track "...and Only Ruins Will..." is a vortex of potential, easily my favorite of the batch. Catchy death metal rhythms played over steady driving beats and swallowed in atmosphere.

The production is better than demo level, I didn't find a lot of bass in there but the band's focus is on the big synths, grunt vocals and viral percussive speed picking. I didn't love the material in its entirety, and it's an EP, about 20 minutes long, but this band has an immense potential that I will not deny. The virility of Morbid Angel, a sheen of atmospheric black metal, and a willingness to experience with tempos are all signs that this band will appear on the radar of many, and soon. I'll be listening for whatever they do next.

Verdict: Indifference [6.5/10]

http://www.myspace.com/sculptingthevenus

Drudkh - Microcosmos (2009)

I've fallen into a love/hate relationship with the music of Drudkh. Some of his early albums (Forgotten Legends and Autumn Aurora, I didn't care for The Swan Road) are paramount examples of longing, despair, and the bitterness of a neglected musical wilderness. Blood In Our Wells was a phenomenal, career defining album which addressed and honored the past of a people we sadly ignore in today's European-hating reality. But the past two albums went in and out of my ears with little fanfare.

Thankfully, Microcosmos is both a near return to the quality of his earlier works and a progression that showcases what this band is capable of: works of emotional intensity that resound long past the actual physical exposure to the songs, and a depressive, beautiful landscape for those deep in thought. "Days That Passed" opens a brief window into the great past of the Motherland, before the epic surge of "Distant Cries of Cranes", which is 9 minutes of bliss that contains shades of much of the band's far reaching career within a single 'microcosmos'. Melodic, haunting and glorious. "Decadence" is a far more somber piece, but I enjoyed the attentive, wandering bass guitars throughout the track, and the bluesy despair it conjures. "Ars Poetica" is a darker, swerving piece with an interesting prog rock break near the end, but not one of my favorites on the album. "Everything Unsaid Before" has some moments of brilliance, but just as many moments of dullness. "Widow's Grief" is a lovely little sendoff.

The album is fittingly raw when needed, yet clear enough to capture the myriad tones expressed through the bands almost constant sense for melody. Vocals are bleak but unimpressive. Overall, I enjoyed two of the songs deeply, as well as the intro and outro pieces. The other two tracks were a mixed bag, but Microcosmos will certainly please fans of this band's previous wanderings, and perhaps pull in a few more.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

http://www.myspace.com/drudkhofficial

Dead Christ Cult - Your Absurd Life (2009)

Sadistic black/thrashers of the Ukraine deliver a crisp and battering collection of seven tracks, and though I would hardly call this fourth slab of glistening guts an inspirational work, it's grim and worth a head bang or six.

The guitars here are a mixture of buzzing, grinding chords and a very poppy sounding thrash tone, but Maksym does not fail to deliver some evil sounding notes. "K pobede zhelezom i krovyu" begins with a pretty evil black metal part then erupts into some popping, snarling thrash attack. The feel of the latter borders on very early Sodom or Kreator when the bands sounded their most vile. "Efemernost zhizni" is a slower thrash piece which totally had me kick my chair over and start a circle pit of one in my listening chambers. Hella fun. "Izheprorok" drives forward with a vicious melody then slows for an old school thrash verse. "Mertvoe kasanie" is one of my favorite tracks on the album, and has some great flowing tech black/death guitars with some catchy bridges. "Ogon Mesti" is another scorcher with some truly evil and cool riffs.

The album sounds pretty raw but the guitar tones make up for it. The bass is really pumping low in the mix but gives a little atmosphere to the brightness of the guitars. The drums may very well be programmed but they're not exactly on par with the riffs or native tongue vocals so you I can hardly call this a fault or distraction. There is a particular sect of black/thrash crossover fans who will enjoy this album. If you are fond of bands like Aura Noir, Bewitched and Maze of Torment, it's definitely worth a listen.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

http://dcchorde.ho.ua/

Khors - Mysticism (2008)

While their previous album Cold was a promising if forgettable work of Ukrainian black metal, the third album Mysticism is eloquent and atmospheric. Their style here would probably be better described as gothic black and doom, especially with the heavy presence of the whispered vocals and slight synthesizer touches. There are also a lot of acoustic guitars. It comes together well, though, so if you're in the market for something rather mellow to listen to, Mysticism is a pretty dreamy trip of an album, without losing the crushing black vocals and slower black/doom riffs.

A peaceful instrumental "Through the Rays of Fading Moon" is your first flight, followed by steadily paced "Raven's Dance", which immerses one into their somber and graceful style of soaring melodies and simple black rhythms. "Milk of Heavens" is a very gothic song with some whispered vocals. "Winterfall" is a nice, layered, melodic escape. "In the Cold Embrace of Mist" just might be my favorite here, an epic and sad track that balances their aggressive side nicely with the gothic landscapes they devour. "Pagan Scars" is an acoustic piece with some flute. The title track is another epic, and another of its best songs. The album ends with "Red Mirrors", a graceful gothic/black metal tapestry.

If you're into the mellow end of the black metal spectrum, with a folk influence, this is certainly an album you should give a chance. I think doom fans might also find a lot to enjoy, in particular gothic doom or folk doom. I'll also recommend to fans of Tiamat or Moonspell. It's not an entirely memorable album, but it WILL take you on a journey, if you just sit down, listen, and let it.

Verdict: Win [7/10]

http://www.khors.info/