I have to admit that apart from Old Wainds and the odd track here and there, my acquaintance with Russian black metal is minimal, so I have no real sense of scene or sound if any, nor have I come across any of Stielas Storhett's earlier works. This is their fourth release, and second full length and the only photo I saw of sole member Damien T.G. looked pretty orthodox, but first track here ' Dying Delerium' kinda kicked that notion in the head and left it twitching. This opener is an interesting mix of thoughtful, depressive Black Metal wrapped up in itself with some nicely pitched snarls and tortured cries in the vocals that pull you this way and that. With a fair Katatonia influence in the angular, discordant melody which twists the riff it pushes aside my preconceptions and reveals some serious musical boundary walking.
As the album progresses we also discover a heavy touch of Opeth in the more restrained passages of 'All Paths Lead To Oblivion' and the instrumental 'Hush-A-Bye'. These are nicely done, true, but somehow they lose the pacing in the end, a drop in the energy not exactly taken up by the atmosphere. Nothing major, just a blip.
'Two Lifeless Months' rescues it in no uncertain terms; it is a dark and twisted affair that pulls together all the aforementioned influences into it's own weave that kicks up the pace, aggression and a very contemporary sense of wrongness seeps into the brickwork. None of 'Expulse' is of the cliched dark woods exactly (says me with no lyrics to hand), but this is a real nasty bit of almost urban insanity and tortured soul screaming. Add in a saxophone with that perfect haunting, stalking wail and you have an excellent whirl of black metal bristling with brooding and ideas without losing focus.
'Expulse' and 'Angel Of Death' continue this intense furrow, twists of Ulver like musicality and Slagmaur off balance attack creating an excellent, disturbed space awash with smooth transitions from throat ripping violence to post Brave Murder Day sombre reflection.
I have no idea of the language used; titles are in English but the few hushed, unsettling whispers are most definitely not. But such is the articulate nature on display here feeling is intensely conveyed through the music and the titles alone to lead me into a weird, dark headspace that has a very disturbed glower in its eye.
I am both surprised and impressed; this is a fine album and particularly when the pace gathers and the teeth are bared it leaves a lasting impression of dark places when the human brain cracks and lets the darkness in. There is early on perhaps a touch more Brave Murder Day era Katatonia than needed but Stielas Storhett's personality pushes through and I'm left curiously unnerved and unsettled. Which I guess is the aim.
Seriously, I'd recommend checking this adventurous project out.
Impressive.
http://www.myspace.com/stielasstorhettofficial
Gizmo
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