This record definitely caught my attention as soon as it came into view. To begin with, there is the joy associated with an utterly unpronounceable name – and believe me, this one is not even in the ‘have a stab’ bracket. More so, this album focuses on the process of confronting your internal darkness and suffering in order to find a path to enlightenment. And you know me, the old Buddhist one – that’s definitely going to drag me in.
However, this is also, musically, an extraordinarily good record. It does cross genres somewhat which is something I tend to enjoy. Black metal sits at its core and the classical patterns can be heard clearly in tracks such as opener ‘The Cycle Ov Omega’ and the obliteration of ‘Chthonic Rites Ov Fertility’. However, there is a distinctly experimental and often progressive layer which is thrown to the fore in the chaos of tracks such as the dynamic ‘Ascension’.
Hailing from the sparse metal scene of Belarus, there are some striking sonic similarities to UK black metal band Abduction, as well as some of the more adventurous outpourings of bands such as Krallice.
In short, this is a fascinating, absorbing and evocative black metal record. The two band members describe themselves as ‘He’ and ‘She’ which, given I have never been one for names, works very well in my book. Go listen – I bet you a million Belarussian rubles that you like it*.
*this is the point that I find out that’s about £1.25.
9/10