It’s taken a long time for me to get into this folky metal, but nowadays I can truly understand the beauty of even the happiest melodies - mostly thanks to bands like Nokturnal Mortum, Negură Bunget and Temnozor who could be mentioned as similar artists to Sferslav’s new EP entitled Lyn’ za Hmari, though metal is only a minor and occasional element here.
Indeed, the only proper moments of distorted metal guitar are in the background of the Negură Bunget esque title track, other than that and some double bass drumming it’s mostly acoustic instrumentation such as guitars and traditional instruments that dominate the soundscape, not to forget the well performed female vocals that are in the biggest role on ”Zirka-Dusha”. Speaking of which, I can’t help getting a vibe of Blazebirth Hall bands à la Forest and Branikald during the last moments on ”Zirka-Dusha” where a sweet guitar melody is tremolo picked with a clean sound.
Consisting of mere four relatively short songs, Lyn’ za Hmari is over sooner than you realize, and considering the quality of the compositions, I wouldn’t mind hearing a lot more. The professional production makes all the instruments sound perfect, and the ambience is top-notch, from the mysterious aura of the introduction ”Vidkryttya” to the summery melodies on ”U Pamyat Bilih Liley”.
Lyn’ za Hmari is the first proper folk metal release I’ve heard this year, and it sets the standards quite high. A recommendable buy for those who enjoy the bands mentioned in earlier paragraphs. If you aren’t entirely convinced after first listen, force yourself for another spin because these melodies will become pretty damn enchanting eventually.
Indeed, the only proper moments of distorted metal guitar are in the background of the Negură Bunget esque title track, other than that and some double bass drumming it’s mostly acoustic instrumentation such as guitars and traditional instruments that dominate the soundscape, not to forget the well performed female vocals that are in the biggest role on ”Zirka-Dusha”. Speaking of which, I can’t help getting a vibe of Blazebirth Hall bands à la Forest and Branikald during the last moments on ”Zirka-Dusha” where a sweet guitar melody is tremolo picked with a clean sound.
Consisting of mere four relatively short songs, Lyn’ za Hmari is over sooner than you realize, and considering the quality of the compositions, I wouldn’t mind hearing a lot more. The professional production makes all the instruments sound perfect, and the ambience is top-notch, from the mysterious aura of the introduction ”Vidkryttya” to the summery melodies on ”U Pamyat Bilih Liley”.
Lyn’ za Hmari is the first proper folk metal release I’ve heard this year, and it sets the standards quite high. A recommendable buy for those who enjoy the bands mentioned in earlier paragraphs. If you aren’t entirely convinced after first listen, force yourself for another spin because these melodies will become pretty damn enchanting eventually.
3.5 / 5
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