Black Dominion Productions, 2010
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
1. Proch I
2. Proch II
After releasing an intriguing demo Pustota return with only two songs, but this clocks in at twenty minutes of music so the two tracks give us a lot to listen to. This was released in a CDr format limited to 150 copies and a cassette format limited to 66 copies. I was only able to track down the cassette edition for this and it features a different cover from the CDr. I actually prefer the CDr cover and I wish I had been able to find it, but alas, it probably sold out swiftly in 2010. The Tape edition comes with a pro-printed booklet and a stickered dubbed tape. The tape limitation is not listed on anywhere. The booklet is wonderful though featuring excellent pictures of winter landscapes and woods. Very fitting for the style of music.
Based on the demo I'm rather surprised that just a year later they released music this astounding! I remember the latter half the demo was just okay and "Proch" seems to be modelled more on the song "Silent Whisper of Walls" and they really take that style and develop it completely with "Proch". "Proch" is a beautiful and serene journey featuring a really dense Black Metal style and textured with violin and clean guitar passages here and there. The vocal performance almost borderlines on that high pitched wail used all too often in DSBM, but I think they hold back from the high range in a manner that makes this far more listenable than other bands of that style. They actually have a lower tonality at times which gives an extra depth to their more entrancing melancholic style. It fits well, where other styles would be more jarring and annoying in Pustota's landscape. With all the dense and mesmerizing textures the arrangement style borders on the Ambient end of composition. This gives the release a very immersive feel where the listener can easily get lost in the two songs.
My one and only complaint about this release is that it is only twenty minutes in length. With writing this well thought out a full-length would be much preferred. Sadly its been quite a while since we've heard anything from Pustota in 2010 and my only hope is that the project is still active and writing in this vein. If you like Atmospheric Black Metal with strong Ambient leanings then "Proch" is absolutely a must hear. If this was a full-length it would probably in the top ten for the year of release.
Werewolf Promotions/Act of Hate, 2009
Genre: Black Metal
1. Nightmare
2. Silent Whisper of Walls
3. Depression Pt. I (Abyssic Hate Cover)
4. Pogrzeb Cieni Zapomnianych
5. Open Gates to Infinity
This is something I purchased at random. I do enjoy a lot of music from Poland and the artwork seemed relatively interesting. I also like hearing new demos from bands that look interesting to me and since I was placing an order with Act of Hate Records anyway, I decided this was worth checking out given the rest of their roster. I think a CD version of this demo also exists, but the tape edition is limited to 88 hand numbered copies, of which I own #4.
Pustota play a sort of offshoot of the Depressive Suicidal Black Metal craze. They're very influenced by the Czech band Trist, from which Pustota get their name. Sealing that deal is a cover of an Abyssic Hate song spanning nearly twelve minutes. This is certainly a questionable choice, given their original material is only over five minutes long. So having the Abyssic Hate track right in the middle of Pustota's originals kind of breaks up the atmosphere they generate, which is a little different.
That being said, the demo starts off with "Nightmare" which is more of an Ambient styled intro and reminds me of how The Axis of Perdition would likely open one of their albums with types of terrifying sounds. Going into "Silent Whisper of Walls" is great, because "Nightmare" really sets things up for us. This song is quite haunting and very well composed dripping with a haunting atmosphere. It is clearly the best song on this demo and probably the latest song they composed, because I feel like the direction of that song is a little different from the other tracks. Perhaps this is why the Abyssic Hate song is where it is, because the title track feels like a much more traditional styled Black Metal song. It has some atmospheric moments, but they're sort of pasted into the song structure, whereas "Silent Whisper of Walls" is far more seamless. The demo finally closes with a five minute Ambient track "Open Gates to Infinity". It's a decent song, but it is nowhere near as terrifying as "Nightmare", but it is a relaxing close to the demo. It also has some haunting features that might want you hoping for more.
In the end this is a fairly decent first effort. "Silent Whisper of the Walls" really has me interested in watching this project for the future. If they tend towards that direction they could really write some spectacular stuff. Hopefully future efforts will be far more focused in their overall design with careful attention set on maintaining a particular atmosphere throughout.
No comments:
Post a Comment