#97 2 jackets Moloney Reviews: Malokarpatan - Krupinské ohne (2020)

Malokarpatan – Krupinské ohne (2020)

by 2 jackets Moloney

 

Beware the enchanting pastoral sounds of wood, field and meadow! At any moment the peaceful terrain may rupture and tear without warning revealing the hellish fires within! In the theatre of sound the music on their second-latest album Krupinské Ohne shifts constantly between these two worlds, the red tooth grinding under the smile.

Fitting that the album should begin the way it does, with an orchestral piece of music which I am unable to identify (from the movie Andrej Rublev perhaps? If the band ever reads this, a clarification would be most welcome!) which in which the music softly suggests the beguiling lightness of the coming spring before shifting ominously into a choral driven section which blows like an icy wind into the surrounding gloom.

Fitting also, that the band should associate their music with the potent symbolism of the forest, that evocation of nature's dual qualities of pastoral tranquility on the one hand and darkness & danger on the other. In this sense even the gentler musical moments seem to serve as warnings of what dangers lie around the corner.

Musically although the album can fairly justifiably be classified as 'Black Metal' (the lead vocalists death growl on most/all of the songs the one consistent factor that connects the band to that particular category) in my view that term can be said to indicate a state of mind as much as it does a particular musical style and the band members' obvious fondness for different 'non-metal' styles of music is given ample expression throughout.

The expected influences are of course present: I am reminded at times of Bathory's early years and there are moments that would not sound out of place on The Return of Darkness and Evil - elsewhere however flashes of even-older-school melodic heavy metal are featured - I particularly like the surprising (& pleasing) Scorpions-style anthemic sing-along chorus on Krupinské ohne poštyrikráte teho roku vzplanuli for instance.

In addition the band's obvious fondness for 70s prog rock is very much in evidence during such moments as the Genesis/Camel -like musical passage on Na černém kuoni sme lítali firmamentem, and there is a most welcome excursion into medieval/renaissance territory (Filipojakubská noc na Štangarígelských skalách - is that a real krumhorn I have to ask?)

To sum up it's clear that the members' wide-ranging non-metal influences indicate a certain creative restlessness and a commendable willingness to integrate these other sounds into their music. Krupinské ohne strikes me as a worthy specimen of this tendency and I now look forward to listening the other albums released by this intriguing and impressive band.

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Malokarpatan on JDOS:

Dec-20: Interview#46

#50 2 Jackets Moloney Reviews: Return of Pluto - New Horizons (2022)

Return of Pluto - New Horizons (2020)

By 2 Jackets Moloney

 

This is my 1st review for 'Jablka daleko od stromu' but first, a personal disclaimer: My interest in 'heavy' music started with the old school (Sabbath, Zep etc) many years ago and apart from the occasional excursion into the musical dark side, I still tend mainly towards the more 'traditional' side of things: Within the broad framework of 'metal' this means I live in a slightly grainy, backlit world of melodic hard rock, prog, AOR cheese, blues, jazz, heavy rock/ proto metal, NWOBHM, 60s, 70s, 80s spandex & tennis shoes, ultimately afflicted with the Styx-plague stuck-in-the-past hell, darkened only here and there by patches of doom and Black/extreme metal..

And so, confronted with the grinding metallic harshness of 'New Horizons' I am far and away out of my comfort zone (a good start no doubt, from the band's point of view!)

As a reviewer you might ask what the hell could I even bring to the table armed merely with such a limited ('uninformed' to put it less charitably) - perspective? Well I'm sorry to say that is just what you are going to get. But -hang on in though & see what happens. A few of you may even find yourself grudgingly nodding along some with my thoughts.

First impressions: There is little 'comfort' as such to be had from Return of Pluto's offering. As I blindly stumbled through this unfamiliar world of iron hammer-drumming courtesy of Frenkie, Patrick's ominous rumbling bass lines, sudden wailing bursts of grinding distortion and Hanskowitch's growling demonic roars around every corner, it took repeated listens in order for the murky roar to coalesce into recognizable elements. And one such element is 'grind'. It's a gloomy world of constant and brooding grind. One can easily imagine a steamroller's progress occasionally braked by some stubborn piece of stray flint or stone before its path, before enormous pressure kicks it suddenly and violently away. Such an image is my metaphor of choice for the music on New Horizons.

To extend that metaphor further, imagine that same steamroller now chartered by Siouxie and the Banshees, suffering on its course periodic raids by a 90s pirate army of Kurt Cobains, all the while coming to a stifling halt against scattered stray lumps of smouldering hell-coal from the furnace of Reverend Bizarre, shiddering under demonic growls of protest before finally splitting free: relative gothic quiet descending once again, allowing the listener to catch a breath before the next inevitable plummet into the depths. (Opening track 'Withering' is a notable example of this particular dynamic in its melding together of different styles. The effect is far from jarring however and and is in fact impressively seamless.)

Given my stuck-in-the-past perspective and limited knowledge it shouldn't surprise you that the bands I am reminded of belong to a certain era, no later than say, 1990. 'Bleach'-era grunge is an obvious comparison in this regard: In Hanskowitch's 'quieter' vocal moments the Cobain comparisons are likewise, unavoidable. (The opening riff of 'Daemons' for instance is reminiscent of another certain, famous opening riff. The track also shows the string bending influence of Tony Iommi) The Banshees influence I alluded to earlier features most strongly in the swirling chime of guitars that mark the album, floating frequently to the surface in an atmosphere of halting & uncertain unease before that cursed, smouldering coal strikes again to explode the brooding relative calm. ('Ancient Sun' is a good example of this).

There are moments that deviate from this general picture: 'Bloody Blues' which has a riff that reminds me of 'Rockn Roll Victim' by 70s punk pioneers Death and I'm also pleased to say that final track 'Unnamed' delves into bluesier-than-usual territory.

I have a feeling some fans of the band will read this and relish the prospect of me being not only taken out of my comfort zone but being given a good kicking in addition. But being older & stuck in my ways (respect your elders!), I'll continue to be an outsider for some time yet, occasionally and gingerly poking my nose into new & unfamiliar territory and attempting to put what I see and hear into words.

And isn't that the whole point?

 

#19 V-dur Reviews: Bahratal - Legie Ubožáků (ep 2022)

 

Bahratal - Legie Ubožáků (ep 2022)

By V-dur

Prevaľovanie tónov zbustrovanej basy ako z albumov najlepšej éry vydavateľstva Silver Rocket prechádza za zvukov túrovania motorky do gitarového intra, ktoré by pokojne mohlo byť poctou Slayer. Keď sa napokon ozve spev, snáď nie iba starým páprdom pripomenie odkaz Master's Hammer.

Úvodný song nahrávky "Legie Ubožáků" je pôsobivá scénická kompozícia: žiaden riff ani pasáž sa v ňom nezopakujú. Kapela ide a povie veci a keď ich povie, ide ďalej, ako motorkár na pomalom chopperi, ktorý je preto pomalý, aby sa mu neminul ten svet okolo a nemusel chodiť na žiadne miesto dvakrát.

 

Počuť, že kapele záleží na tom, aby neznela úplne ako všetky ostatné kapely. Relatívne jednoduché riffy obohacuje aspoň o drobné detaily, hneď prvá pasáž po rozbehnutí songu je zároveň najkomplikovanejšia, ako keby sa hudobníci snažili povedať: "Prídu aj priamočiarejšie riffy, sčernalý a od sádz špinavý thrash a punk, ale teraz ešte toto."

"Zmizet Jako Rudý Trpaslík" už následne rozvíja najmä tú priamočiarosť. BAHRATAL patria k tým, ktorí jednoduchosť hudby využívajú k skúmaniu jej atmosférických a zvukových možností. Nestrácajú pri tom energiu a drive, ktorou upútajú aj ľudí, ktorým nezáleží na harmóniách a inováciách. Za mňa sú skvelá ukážka moderného blackmetalového zvuku, ktorý sa rochní presne v tom, na čo bol black metal vymyslený: v zásade, že to najsilnejšie na tejto hudbe je to, čo sa nedá zapísať notami.