SENTIMEN BELTZA: "Bizitza Osoan Zehar Sortu Den Etsipenaren Ondorioak"

Bubonic Productions, perhaps most commonly known for being a true fountain of acts in the field of rawest and most disgusting black metal possible (think of Vetala, Mons Veneris and the likes from the sublabel Discipline), does not dwell merely on the borders of noise and black metal: Sentimen Beltza's take on the genre hails to the shores of Finland, most clearly to the melancholic and organic sound of Sargeist. Come to think of it, I have probably never before witnessed a band this close to the style of the aforementioned band, and while it does gets thumbs up from me, the imitation also becomes Bizitza Osoan Zehar Sortu Den Etsipenaren Ondorioak's main downside.

From the very first seconds into the ”Hosto Eroriak”, the deal becomes quite evident: over the steadily battering mid-paced blast beats are being fired tremolo full sorrowful riffs. The overall atmosphere is really gloomy and hopeless, yet there is always a slight sense of something ominous in the air. The wintery landscape on the album's cover is pretty fitting, although my thoughts wander to somewhat darker, nocturnal territories than what the picture conveys while listening to the record. The songs are deliberately repetitive in the riff department, which also reflects in the song lengths varying from seven to thirteen minutes. While we consider the rather, erm, stagnant style in which Sentimen Beltza deliberately executes its black metal comprised of familiar ideas, eventually the album starts to drag on a bit, and the blossoming sadness sees no end, not even momentary, until the fifth track "Etsipenaren Ondorioak (Itxaropenik Gabe Part III)" that introduces a power chord section that lasts for a few seconds. This is the kind of variation I would have liked to hear a bit more during the course of over 50 minutes.

Musically, the album is very solidly performed. The drumming and guitar work is flawless, making the songs run smoothly. The only problem I see resides in the vocals that, while fittingly raspy, have a distortion effect on them which always evokes a somewhat bedroomish feeling. Sentimen Beltza is certainly no cheap bedroom project anyhow, considering the authenticity in the instrumental departments, but it's the vocals that have something to improve upon. Albeit I've criticized a lot of the album's elements, as a whole the record stands above many, and if one is not tired of bands akin to Sargeist and the fellows, Bizitza Osoan Zehar Sortu Den Etsipenaren Ondorioak is more than an apt object of exploration.

3.5 / 5