KRV: "Ograma"

Attacking with black metal from an unusual country Bosnia and Herzegovina, KRV delivers a solid album of traditional elements, mixing hateful chords with a pleasant amount of epic melancoly. The band’s fourth and also last album Ograma does not play with unnecessary gimmicks; these ten songs (excluding the short ambient bookends) are authentically executed in an asphyxiating soundscape, making the album an oppressive experience, mostly in a positive way.

Sung in their native language, Ograma’s message doesn’t really transfer to the listener, but the music itself is enough captivating to make an endurable whole. Not a single track truly stand out from another; the material seems constantly enjoyable even if definitely unsurprising. Instruments are handled with rather careful tightness, tremolo fire doing its job admirably, not to forget the steady drumwork nor the low-pitch growling. The previously mentioned production, though, makes it all sound a little incoherent and tremulous, hence harder to get into.

The lack of truly outstanding compositions is, surprise surprise, the main glitch of Ograma. Those looking for proper innovation from their black art will most likely be disappointed by the record, but for others Ograma might provide a plentiful amount of good riffage. Not a groundbreaking record whatsoever, but would be a worthy acquisition into my shelves for an occasional listen.

2.5 / 5

EVIL WRATH: "Chaotical Invasion"

Some say that black metal should evolve. Some, like Evil Wrath here, say a big fuck off to that. On their second full-length Chaotical Invasion, this hateful Canadian group offers nothing but true underground black metal in the very vein of Darkthrone’s golden era in the first half of the 90s. No more, no less. In good, and bad.

The paragraph above alone tells pretty much enough, but let’s go into some details, anyhow: Evil Wrath does know how to create cold sounding black metal without unnecessary twists, there’s that certain monotony in these rather long compositions - most evidently manifested on the over eight-minute title track - where a moderately paced blast beat carries the song through various tremolo picked evil riffs, rather high-pitched screams proclaiming death and hatred towards the whole of humanity on top. Bass guitar is quite non-existent but it does make the album’s lo-fi soundscape a tad fuller. And who wants some lively bass solos on an old school black metal album, anyway?

I’ve heard a fair deal of better albums in this field, albums that have summoned coldness and lurking menace much more convincingly, but then again, I’ve also heard many worse endeavours than Chaotical Invasion. This album might offer little to someone who needs basically nothing but Under a Funeral Moon to satisfy his needs for basic, hateful black metal, but for those who still seek out for different faces within a constricted, uncompromising style, Chaotical Invasion might just be his thing.

2.5 / 5