Despite the fact that Stíny Plamenů were both a new and equally unpronounceable name to me before this album arrived, they were also noted as being attached to a most unlikely source (or should that be sauce) as contributors to a heavy metal cookbook Yes Hellbent For Cooking by Annick ‘Morbid Chef’ Giroux is such a whacked out idea and I can only give it a plug here and use it as a slightly odd introduction to the review. The names involved range from the obvious and well known Destruction, to the downright bizarre and yes I am truly interested to see what sort of mess Diephagio would give their culinary skills to as well as all sorts of other bands. But as far as Stíny Plamenů are concerned it’s not what they serve up in the kitchen that’s of importance here but what they put together in the studio and on the strength of this it is no recipe for disaster (ok I will stop the puns now).
This is apparently the Czech Republic bands 5th album and they also have a live and best of compilation available so are obviously veterans of the scene at home. There is also something else very unique about them as summed up by Metal Forces description of lyrical themes with the one word ‘sewers.’ Say what? Yep seriously this lot seem to have a bit of an infatuation with things down below, the places where the slime lives even. Check out the hilarious album cover which seems them overflowing onto the streets as buildings blaze away on fire and even more amusing take a butchers at the band photos of our intrepid sewer rats down in their hunting ground. Yes corpse-paint, trench-coats and wellington boots make a new and extreme fashion statement that has to be seen to be believed. A bit of delving tells me that the band name means ‘Shadow Of Flames’ and they formed following journeys into the depths of Plzen's sewer system. Their brand of wastewater black metal also saw mythological characters taking form such as Pan Cistirensky (The Sewage Disposal Lord) and Syn Poklopu (Son of the Manhole Lids), I shit you not!!
As one would probably expect from the country and pedigree of acts from there, this is a harsh, spiteful and feudal, barbed attack. There is no messing around as this ploughs straight in on the opening track and pretty much belts it out hell for leather till albums completion. Singer Lord Morbivod also one of the groups three guitarist and bassist has a particularly effective rasping delivery and it is noted that he along with drummer Lord Sheafraidh also serve time in the excellent Trollech. The drumming is also something worthy of mention as there is a strange booming timbre used occasionally and they echo as though they were literally recorded in a sewer which were in not so impractical to lug a kit below ground I would not be surprised if they were. It would be lazy to make comparisons to the likes of Root and Masters Hammer but it is also kind of hard to ignore as there is certainly that sort of feel to the music and if you like these bands you are no doubt going to come away from this lot thinking they are far better than a load of old toilet. The raging guitar whiplashing away and rampant booming drums of ‘Žár stoky v plamenech’ make this track stick out particularly at the halfway mark but the whole album is good. Due to language barriers I am slightly stuck on more insight to themes although the album title ‘Mrtvá Komora’ apparently means The Dead Room.’ I can only really leave this review with an obvious pun and tell you that Stíny Plamenů are a band well worth flushing out.
http://www.myspace.com/diveintothewastewater
http://stinyplamenu.net
