SHADES OF DEEP WATER: "Constant Pressure"

Seeing Saturnian Productions release material from such a band as Shades of Deep Water is interesting in many ways: first, on the surface level, the label hasn't ventured this far outside the circles of black metal before, and secondly, the band in question does not seem to have at least as clear ideological links to occultism and Satanism as other acts like Arvet or Blood Red Fog from the label's roster do. So, instead of being an elaborate, verbose outlet of philosophical pondering, what Constant Pressure is at its core is simply funeral doom metal. Gray artwork with bare essentials mentioned. Blunt, pithy lyrics. A simple underground sound with no gimmicks whatsoever. How far can you get with these elements?

Very far, of course, if you ask me. It's just that Constant Pressure shouldn't be compared too heavily to what some label might have released previously; and even if we do compare, we see similar kind of negative energy running in the veins of all these bands. Shades of Deep Water's approach is just more simple but not at all less evocative. Lyrics like these hit the spot, indeed, in conjuring some authentic oppression: "I feel the water rising / Weight of dirt compressing / I feel the constant pressure / Waters and dirt surround me".

Musically, the band makes good use of the limited running time the format (seven-inch vinyl) sets: considering the slow-paced nature of the genre, these songs don't of course have time to expand into massive, droning horizons, so the tempo is kept relatively fast, which again allows plenty of variation within songs. My favourite moment must be the above-quoted, magical, clean-sung chorus of the title-track, but not one second of the EP is a letdown. The music crawls through the twelve minutes in destroying, asphyxiating and melancholic sounds, all elements somehow packed together. 

Sound-wise, the EP is also strong in my ears in that it's neither too lo-fi for its own good (when it would lose its mandatory grumbling force, given the genre) nor too polished like unfortunately is the case with many new albums in the field. The only thing that bugs me in the end is the total playing time, but I hope it's soon compensated by more material; a whole full-length of as competent material as this would definitely be to my liking. Oh, and here's another surprise for me: I've been an active follower of the co-label Bubonic Productions for years and it's only now that I find out the label has been churning out various demos of the band since 2007 – now that I'm wondering how I've managed to miss those, I've got some catching up to do.

4 / 5

ARS DIAVOLI: "Clausura"

Six years ago (whew...) I remember buying Ars Diavoli's demo tape The Absence of Light, and how I listened to it quite a bit back then, enjoying its ear-shattering roughness combined with the melancholic melodies. Years pass and Clausura, Vilkacis' second full-length album already, has been out a long time by now, but I started digesting it only recently. Perhaps my lack of enthusiasm to follow the band's activities is corollary of the major debut Pro Nihilo Esse not impressing me properly, and unfortunately I'm having somewhat similar thoughts on the second effort, another album that kind of lingers in the already heard ideas.

Simply put, Clausura is depressive black metal. A load of reverby atmosphere with guitars fluctuating between the distorted tremolo picking and clean note plucking. Steady drumbeats are provided by a tad too clear drum machine, and mostly in tempos that verge on doom metal. Some exceptions do occur, like the rather fast-paced beginning of ”Momento Inerte”, but the general speed is slow, and fittingly so. There's no major flaws in the music here, the only yet too severe glitch is the fact that there's nothing really refreshing about Clausura: it's depressive black metal by the book: funereal atmospheres, evocations of hopeslessness, the inescapable decay of all living...

Giving this album a listen in total darkness and in the right state of mind may, or must, result in a more positive impression than giving it a go in the middle of all the daily fuss. I'm too often guilty of inclining towards the latter category, a category that does not go hand in hand with something like Clausura. If depressive landscapes in the rather traditional black metal way haven't bored you by now, Ars Diavoli's second album is most likely a worthwile album to check out. And even if you find the subgenre tiresome, there's no way of saying that Clausura was somehow badly done. Not at all. For my taste, it is just a bit too predictable.

3 / 5

VESANO: "Gritos do Tempo"

In spite of revering depressive black metal during a long phase years ago, my current liking of it is pretty much limited to a very few exceptions of authentic, dead coldness akin to Hypothermia, or bands that utilize sadness to a moderate level, but never going to superfluous degrees of mere wailing. Hence an album like Vesano's Gritos do Tempo could have affected me much more strongly had it come out a lot earlier, as by now it is very challenging for any band to craft a great whole with such a simplistic scheme rehashed a myriad of times.

The elements that total Gritos do Tempo are, indeed, of basic depressive / suicidal black metal pattern: you've got the distorted, slowly plucked guitars on top of slow beats, vocals shrieking their hopelessness in high-pitched screeches. Moments of foray from this style are very few and far between, if present at all. Moreover, the lack of brevity (these songs spanning from five to ten minutes) is only to the detriment of the whole as the length conceals the rare moments of shining. These occasions are usually the payoffs of tracks concluding in their most epic proportions, but I'm afraid that hyperbolic phrase is misleading as there's not much 'epic' here in the end. This is rather stable wandering with very minimal shifts in dynamics.

Those still fond of the subgenre at its most basic, core form, should logically ignore my ever-astringent words against the musical style presented herein, but those who share similar ideas in relation to DSBM with yours truly can take heed of my criticism. There's probably not much to discover here. To look at Gritos do Tempo from a more positive perspective, it sounds pretty good. The primitive drums reverb just about as much as they should on an album of sluggish pace, and neither will I nag about the vocalist's delivery that reeks of convincing frustration. However, this isn't enough in creating a great record, as the compositions themselves are somewhat inconsequential.

2.5 / 5

SINISTERITE: "The Unclean Days"

The international duo of Shatraug (Horna, Sargeist...) from Finland and Nox (Forest Grave) from England seems to be active in many degrees, considering that the two are joined together in the death reeking Uhraus, the space themed atmospheric Foudre Noire, and the filthy old-school Sinisterite which to this date has been the most living of them all, having a couple of demos and full-lengths released, in comparison to the mere one-release state of the other two projects.

The Unclean Days is the band's second album, very close to its predecessor: primitive black / death onslaught with simple power chord riffs and mid-tempo beats wrapped up in a primitive, dusty production - the organic sound has always been one of Sinisterite's strongest features. Shatraug's typical, almost trademark ringing guitar tone is present here while he fires his always ingenious menacing riffage and Nox gnarls his vocals on top. The songs follow a basic pattern usually comprising repeated choruses, and the unsurprising plot of the album might disengage some listeners, so it's very much up to how much one is willing take in some proper old-school violence and darkness. From the first half of the album, the GG Allin cover "Die When You Die" is probably the most noteworthy piece due to its brooding execution in a doom metal fashion. The B side is at its best on "The Night Has Teeth" with its soul-wrenching chords, concluding in mysterious melodies atypical to the band.

If one is to compare The Unclean Days to the 2010's eponymous effort, I would incline towards saying that the debut is a tad better in that it simply consists of the most convincing compositions the band has written and played so far. That is not to undermine this record because I'm still unable to mention any bad tracks here, it is pure crushing hell throughout and I enjoy every second of it. It has the required filthiness and particular kind of charming clumsiness an old-school record should possess, so The Unclean Days is without a doubt worth recommending. But if you are new to the band, I would direct towards the earlier album and after that to this album. Anyhow, both albums are recorded around the same time, so they work together splendidly no matter which way around you approach them.

3.5 / 5

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