Mental Home - Угра (2012)

I have to say, of all the reunions and comeback records I've heard this year, Mental Home's Угра ('Ugra') was perhaps the least expected. Not because the Russians ever called it quits permanently, but because I neglected to notice the single/teaser they dropped last year, and after the diminishing results of their last album Upon the Shores of Inner Seas (their third on and last on the End Records, and first and last to get US distribution through Century Media), I did not think I'd be hearing the band again in a studio capacity. Yet here it stands, the 4th full-length, with most of the members returning from the 90s (save for the bassist, who is replaced here by 'Serpent' from several other Russians acts), after a 12 year hiatus...

This is a self-released album, and it bears the distinction of being their first entirely in Russian (with a German concept, if the cover didn't tip you off). Not only that, but the melodies and riffing structures really seem to conjure idealistic images of their homeland, from its vast history to its architecture; something I've always enjoyed in their music. Right away, the band has returned to the symphonic/melodic doom stylings of Vale and Black Art, their strongest statements, and abandoned a fraction of that fruitless progression from Upon the Shores...which I found to be quite a disappointment from its predecessors. The guitars are bulky, accessible and heavily based in simplistic melodic riffing, and they've not lot any of that huge polish circa Black Art. 'Maiden' Smirnov continues to orchestrate the group beyond the normal parameters of their rock instrumentation, and he often leads off tunes like "В среднем течении.. (In the Middle of a Stream)" or "Берёза, яблоня, рябина (Birch, Apple, Rowan)" with both eloquent and (somewhat) cheesy synthesizer pads that are not likely to win over those who loathe keys in black or doom metal. All told, though, these are pretty catchy tracks that offer up similar motifs to Black Art with perhaps a few breaths of progression that hint of a band not simply interested in retreading old steps.

One difference is that Sergey's vocals here feel a lot grittier and harder hitting than the prior albums, even if the style and tonality are largely the same. Combined with the native lyrics, this might be one element which could turn off fans of the earlier work, though once you settle into its rougher contours it continues to fit the music quite well. Drums, bass, piano and clean guitars are all top notch quality, and Угра is varied and well-paced across 46 minutes. So seasoned and consistent in quality, in fact, that it really does not feel like much time has lapsed since their 2000 effort. Mental Home has always been, and continues to be one of the more distinct bands in this field, implementing a layer of ethnic immersion into their notation which you're too rarely going to find elsewhere. I was also impressed that they capped off the disc with a Lake of Tears cover ("Raven Land"), sped up a little and sung in Russian. Not because it was as cool as the original, but just that they had the good taste to try such a thing and make it their own. Ultimately, Угра isn't quite so infectious as their 1996-1999 works, but nevertheless this is a good listen and a welcome return to what so compelled me towards their music in the first place, with a sound all to themselves that should sate fans of Gothic/doom metal who don't shy away from the language barrier.

Verdict: Win [7.25/10]

http://mentalhome.ru/

Mental Home - Upon the Shores of Inner Seas (2000)

The first two Mental Home albums Vale and Black Art had the band primed and hovering at the edge of a breakthrough, especially considering the rather 'exotic' geography of their origins for their day. Russia was known for some mildly interesting heavy metal bands like Black Obelisk or Aria, but how many gothic doom bands were around at the turn of the century putting out records like this? The first Mental Home album to officially see its initial release through the quickly rising label The End Records saw its arrival a year after Black Art, but while technically a superior recording to either of its predecessors, it seemed the band had lost a little steam.

What went wrong? That's the quandary here, because there really is nothing truly negative to say about Upon the Shores of Inner Seas. It's not a long shot from the previous album, with the exception that it takes slightly more progressive flourishes. Sergey Dmitriev's vocals are more polished than before, and this honestly takes off a little of the emotion and edge, but to compensate he uses a slightly more nasal tone in some passages that quite reminded me of Snake from Voivod. The synths and guitars interact as well if not better than the earlier records, and the band has achieved a great tone here where they measure off one another, the melodies simply gleaming across the keyscapes created by Michael 'Maiden' Smirnoff. The problem would have to be the lack of truly memorable songwriting ala "Aevin's Cage", "Southern Calm Waters", or "The Plague Omen". This album has nothing so unforgettable, but it's otherwise a fairly even 37 minutes with only one 'stinker'.

"Downstairs" is a strong opener, with some guitar lines that seem lifted directly from the fog of inspiration that crafted Black Art, but though the song is dense and atmospheric throughout, I can't pick out a single riff that I truly care for. "Late to Revise" creates a shining moment or two that reflect the graceful cover imagery of the album, many of the synths the aural equivalent to a sun beginning to erupt over a cloud or moonscape, but once again it just doesn't quite make it over the top. "Eternal Moan" is the track I really didn't like here...it sounds like Snake singing over some sort of gothic metal swing band, cheesy keyboards trying unsuccessfully to create some uplifting melody behind the chorus. I feel like I'm engaging some sort of bizarre Russian-alien disco when I hear this track, where the two peoples meet to exchange genes, and when it transforms into slappy prog-funk around 2:10, I can feel my dinner attempting to exit an orifice other than the one I intended.

Sadly, the album never really picks up the pieces after this oddball shocker. At best, it only manages to level itself off with the first few tracks in a few spots, like the desperate melodic intro to "Bliss" or the glorious surges that accent the lazy, Voivod-with-a-keyboard atmosphere of "Breakdown". "Stained" is pretty boring, and the remake of "Amidst the Waves" from the band's Mirrorland EP, while superior to the original, is too little and too late to make up for the lackluster 30 minutes you've spend Upon the Shores of Inner Seas.

Perhaps the band knew they had hit a slump, or perhaps not. All I know is that we've seen a decade come and go with no further releases from the once promising Russian act. If this album is truly at fault, well, everyone makes a mistake once in a while. It's not that the material here completely sucks (aside from "Eternal Moan"), it's just short on inspiration. I'd urge Mental Home to forget all about this mediocrity, and head back into the more gloomy, culturally sharpened doom of the first two albums, writing songs both intense and majestic. At least one thing could be taken as a positive from Inner Seas: the production. With any luck, we haven't heard the last of them.

Highlights: Downstairs, Late to Revise, Bliss

Verdict: Indifference [6/10] (you won't need me anymore)

http://www.rusmetal.ru/mentalhome/

Mental Home - Black Art (1999)

I have some rather fond personal memories of this album, for it was one of the first I received (an advance, promotional cassette copy) for the crude, black & white pen & paper zine I started in the later 90s, or at least one of the first I can remember a positive reaction toward. In time I have come to appreciate its predecessor Vale slightly more, but that's not to fault Black Art's natural progression towards a more bold, symphonic sound, and there are some highly memorable tracks on this album still to this day. This album did see one lineup change, with Michael 'Maiden' Smirnoff replacing Roman Povarov on the keys, and perhaps this is felt through a slight increase in the classical influence woven throughout. But it's not a huge transition from Vale, the material on both of these albums could flow and intertwine in any set list and the unwary listener would hardly notice a difference.

Black Art does remind me of Vale in that it seems much of the better material lies on the first half of the album. But once again, it's not that the remainder of the album is necessarily bad, just not as instantly adhesive or memorable in the long term. "Under the Wing (of Gamayun)" channels lush, atmospheric pastures of piano and night noise before a brief, spoken vocal intro and the ensuing stream of melodic guitars that climb towards a majestic summit at 1:35. There's a proggish pop synthesizer that initiates a rather weak bridge, at least until the storming surge of guitars and vocals around 4:30, and the track cycles around to a dramatic close before the vibrant mystique of "The Plague Omen" explodes, perhaps the best song on this album for its titillating arches of keys that break across the guitars like waves through several of the segments. "Into the Realms of Marena" seethes in the rush of wind, pipe organs and further night samples before a nice melodic death melody that sounds similar to something from In Flames' "Moonshield". The smooth bass, bells and melodies of "Silent Remembrance" are gorgeous, another of the album's best, but though the heavier rhythms here are quite well placed, I do wish they would have revisited the motif of that intro more in the track.

After this is the instrumental "In the Shades of Inspiration", all strung out in pianos and synthesizers to help introduce the graceful power of "Pagan Freedom"'s opening riff, but I found the rest of this track to be well-to-do, average melodic/gothic metal with the exception of a few riffs. "Winter Art" is a spidery, gothic gloom of whispers and keys that crawl towards the volcanic twist of melody around 1:20, but despite the rise and fall polish it's simply not that hooky. "On a Hand of the Universe" fares slightly better, with some cool, cruising melodic folk/death lines that recall Amorphis' "Elegy", and a sound overall structure, and "Tides of Time" is a solid closer with Sergey Dmitriev performing his most consistently black metal vocals yet.

Fans who liked Vale will most assuredly get something out of Black Art, but only a few of the songs here are worthy of standing in the shadow of a "Southern Calm Waters" or "Aevin's Cage". It seemed the band were off to a more rousing, straight symphonic black/doom metal style which might have manifested itself alongside the Dimmu Borgirs of the world, only the followup (and final Mental Home album to date) Upon the Shores of Inner Seas would spin the band off down another path. Obviously I recommend the full-length debut over this, but Black Art is the only other album the band released that would warrant a purchase. It wasn't a complete step backwards at the time, it was very exciting in a world which was producing very little symphonic black/gothic metal of any worth. But the songs are simply not all that enduring.

Highlights: Under the Wing (of Gamayun), The Plague Omen, Silent Remembrance

Verdict: Win [8/10] (taken too far and high)

http://www.rusmetal.ru/mentalhome/

Mental Home - Vale (1996)

As the Russians have proven here, a lot can and will happen in a few years. Mental Home had taken the style they implemented with the Mirrorland EP and capitalized on it in every way possible. Vale is a beautiful and original album of melodic, gothic doom with a unique cultural spin that manifests through the native classical influence in the riffing of the guitars and the bristling synth-work. There was the addition of a new guitar player here, Sergey Kalachov, which allowed Roman Povarov to focus more intently on his keys, and the result is a major payoff. But perhaps the most improved is vocalist/guitarist Sergey Dmitriev, who is now managing not only his gruff, tormented vocals better than the EP (he sounds a little like Johan Edlund on the Clouds album), but successfully implementing both black snarls and death grunts wherever he deems them fit.

Looking back, Vale struck at exactly the right moment where it should have been a smashing success, but whether it was a case of limited distribution or lack of word of mouth, the album didn't quite shudder the walls of heaven. I say this because melodic gothic/doom was at a pretty popular point thanks to Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, Tiamat and their ilk, but also Mental Home were somewhat comparable to the melodic death exploding out of Sweden in the mid 90s. The atmosphere of the album is immense, the guitars like glazed tears on a statue's face on an overcast day, the keyboards perfectly aware of where to appear and where to take the sidelines, and even the lyrics are improved. In fact, this is probably one of the best Russian metal albums I own, and it's not the last time the band would tap their muses and take them for a ride.

"Stranger Dove" begins with scintillating atmospheric synthesizers above a crackling fire, and then the immediacy of a good, stark doom rhythm that trails off with the tail of the synthesizer before a folksy Russian melody arrives. After this, there is much desperation and beauty to the verse, as Dmitriev uses his gothic, breathless vocals to great effect. Also of note are the brief, theatrical pauses used later in the track, and the piano subtext used to flow some of the heavier riffing together. But even this is merely a warm-up to the next two tracks, some of the best of Mental Home's career. "Southern Calm Waters" is both eerie and beautiful, with the perfect miasma of melancholic guitars that twist into an unforgettable pre-verse, there to escalate into an eagles vision of the Volga as it sets its course, carving the land. And then comes the fucking doom! But even as Dmitriev lets rip his gnarliest snarling, the band retains its grace. "Aevin's Cage" is likewise extraordinary, with a saddening surge that gently uplifts around :45 to a wonderful melodic pace before the verse, which once again features one of the most elegant and tear-welling guitar riffs known to man. The climax at about 2:00 is reminiscent of something from Tiamat's Clouds, another excellent album.

On the strength of these opening tracks alone, we'd be looking at a perfect album, but there are five left to go, and sadly the strength does not hold throughout the entire 45 minute experience. But it comes very close. "The Euphoria" returns to winding rivers of sublime, sad synthesizer spiced up in both power chords and cleans, with a loud bass presence courtesy of Denis Samusev. It's a solid track, despite its nearly 8 minutes of content, but there are few surprises lurking about its corners and angles, no glorious payload awaiting delivery as in "Aevin's Cage". Still, it is highly atmospheric and not a crutch. "The Vale" creates a panorama of lush synth and crushing doom, majestic and very even, though it too lacks any decisive riffing that could make a grown man cry. "My Necklace" is a great, if short track that offers a Russian parallel to Amorphis' Tales from the Thousand Lakes (or Elegy), and "Christmas Mercy" moves through segues of whispered, atmospheric tranquility and softly thundering background chords, with a cute little melody at about 5:00. Closer "Their Finest Voyage" ranges from an urgent, rampaging intro to a medieval synth line that would be perfect for your role playing fantasies, until it wallops you with a helping of progressive black/doom.

Though the last 25 or so minutes of the album are good, and still a vast improvement over the bands groundwork from Mirrorland, it does grow a little disappointing that the band isn't about to slam your emotions with another "Southern Calm Waters" or "Aevin's Cage", and that's really the only complaint I have about Vale. It sets you up for such anticipation and then lets you down easily. However, it's still good enough to listen through the entire disc, and it's still superior to so much of the drawling gothic ladydoom that was beginning to pop up in Europe, which would plague us with years on end of shitty female-fronted acts that appeal to suckers with bad fairy tattoos and a Harry Potter fetish. I often debate whether I enjoy this album more than its powerful symphonic follow-up Black Art, and I'll have to answer yes for the purposes of this review. Vale has a beautiful subtlety to it which makes it memory durable, while Black Art is straight to the face, over the top orchestrated bliss (though still quite good). If you've got good taste, or f you enjoy albums such as Tiamat's Clouds, Paradise Lost Icon, or Pyogenesis Sweet X-Rated Nothings, and have somehow missed this, Christmas is early this year. Enjoy!

Highlights: Southern Calm Waters, Aevin's Cage, The Euphoria, My Necklace

Verdict: Win [8.75/10] (trust me fool)

http://www.rusmetal.ru/mentalhome/

Mental Home - Mirrorland EP (1994)

We may take Russian metal for granted these days, since it's long enough after the dissolution of the U.S.S.R. that the music is quite common there, and there are now a great number of bands in a great number of sub-genres (though folk, death, black and melodic death seem to be prevalent). But in the 90s, you were still hearing many fresh sounds from the nation. This was well before Arkona, mind you, or the ethnic, worldly sounds of Raxa or the prolific Senmuth. These was the days of the Blazebirth Hall black metal community (Branikald, etc), or the second decade for maturing, classic metal acts like Aria and Master. So it was quite an event when the band Mental Home arrived as a bleep on the radar, a band who had very little in common with most of the metal happening in their country, falling in more in line with the sounds of earlier Pyogenesis or Paradise Lost.

Ultimately, though, there was not a band in existence in the 90s which too closely resembled Russians, and since the band has (I'm assuming) disappeared this past decade, I haven't heard anything quite like them since. The band's debut EP Mirrorland feels like only a crudely cut gem in comparison to the sparkling jewels that grace the necks of later albums Vale or Black Art, but you can clearly hear the band's trademark mix of synthesizer and guitar to evoke waves of gothic, epic sadness, occasionally raging out to mid-paced rhythms as the guitars shed tears above the lush atmosphere, but never getting any more extreme than this, and never needing to.
Probably the one stumbling block to this earlier material would be that Sergey Dmitriev had yet to truly integrate his vocals to the sound. His words have always held an original quality due to the accent and lack of utter snarling or growling, but here he seems rather awkward coughing across the tracks, incapable of meshing with the melodic subtext.

It's not a complete distraction, but it's enough to spoil what is otherwise a pleasant introduction into the band's mythic style, music made for the sadness of a gray day or being lost in the majesty of a vast wilderness. The keyboard/guitar player here, Roman is the original, and he too would improve vastly on Vale, but his soundscapes here are enough to drive alongside the winding melodic structures without leeching from them. "Dreaming Beneath the Rain" is a slower, graceful doom which almost seems like an accessible, gothic parallel to the guitar work being used in Sweden's In Flames in the mid 90s, though they were taking place at the same time. "Amidst the Waves" is a little faster, like a prototypical folk/power metal track with a cheesy mystique conjured through the keys, and "Drowned" has an urgency that calls forth an influence from Russian classical composers.

The latter half of the EP feels much more raw by comparison, and I didn't care for the gothic, almost nu-metal chug & breakdown accompanied by squealing that is the title track "Mirrorland". "Cemetary Flowers" is better, with a nice melodic guitar that complements some of Sergey's better vocals here in Mirrorland. The "Outro" is simply synthesizer, piano and the sampling of birds and nature. I'm not sure if it's just the recording I have, but it feels as if these tracks might have been recorded separately, or just a bad transfer.

Mirrorland is not strong enough that I'd track it down if I were looking for something fresh and new. The songs are somewhat mediocre, and the vocals undefined, but the EP operates on a 'would have been, could have been, may yet be' foundation from which Mental Home would very shortly elevate themselves on the great debut album Vale, a wondrous offering that captures a mystique rare in metal. It's rather a shame the band isn't discussed more widely these days, because the potential they developed in their prime was quite staggering, though they'd fizzle out as soon as the big 2k.

Verdict: Indifference [5/10] (suddenly I hear the voice)

http://www.rusmetal.ru/mentalhome/