Under the Sign of Garazel Productions, 2014
Genre: Black Metal
Szron:
1. Onward into the Void
Witchcraft:
2. Ordog Metal
3. Fekete es Hideg
Side Witchcraft: ...coming eventually...
Side Szron:
I'm not sure if there is a new Szron full-length in the making, but here we have another single track installment with this split. Given how excellent Szron's material has been lately I simply ordered this without even thinking twice about it. This is pressed on 7" vinyl and limited to 500 hand-numbered copies of which I own #77.
Despite being published in 2014, it seems this song was originally recorded back in 2012. I can certainly see why this track didn't fit on "Deathcamp Earth", it has a completely different feel and atmosphere. The song has a much more rock feel to it than a typically Black Metal approach, but the riffing is still pretty grim and reminds me a little of Tulus/Khold's rhythmic style. The raw feel to it makes me think of what I wish modern Darkthrone sounded like, because Szron still keep this old sounding song rooted in the Black Metal genre in many ways. As a one off on a split this works alright, I wouldn't want Szron to be changing their focus to this style as I much preferred "Deathcamp Earth" over anything like this. A decent song for a one off, but its not essential listening unless you're a rather die-hard Szron fan.
Under the Sign of Garazel, 2013
Genre: Black Metal
Szron:
1. Genocide
2. Worship
Martwa Aura:
3. W Dniu Bez Jutra...
4. ...Ujrzę Cień I Ciemność...
5. ... Albowiem Nic Nie Jest Prawdziwe...
Side Martwa Aura: here
Side Szron:
Szron have truly returned to their usual level of activity and in the year following quite the masterpiece Szron split with yet another great Polish band. This time Szron play the role of the legends splitting with the young band Martwa Aura.
For this release Szron offer up two brand new songs. In light of "Death Camp Earth" I was pretty excited about this, but only one of the tracks is of epic length like we find on the last full-length. The Szron side opens with "Genocide", which is a return to their more primitive standard style of Black Metal. I think they are trying to present a far more intense experience for the listener with these tracks, because even though "Worship" is nearly eleven minutes long, it has a lot of that old Gorgoroth style in the writing. Albeit, this material is actually a lot stronger than what we original found on "Zeal", so its not too bad at all to hear on this release. Against Martwa Aura, I can understand why Szron decided to go this route with their music... "Death Camp Earth" styled compositions wouldn't sound as correct up against them. I can also understand on the level that they wanted to change things a little bit this time around. So, if you missed that harsh and violent side of Szron on their last release, its band in full force on here and "Worship" is a truly great representation of their ability to do that style justice.
Under the Sign of Garazel, 2012
Genre: Black Metal
1. Becoming a Shadow
2. The Birth of a God
3. Summoning the Storm of Nothingness
4. Death Camp Earth
Once in a while a long running band that has produced solid material, suddenly produces something that is a real stand out piece in their catalog. "Death Camp Earth" is precisely that release for me in Szron's Catalog. Remember when I said wanted Szron to compose an album around material similar to "The Black Prophecy", that's sort of what they've done here. They've really had to flesh things out a lot for this release in order to get four track to span nearly forty minutes of music.
If you've wanted Szron to return to the mesmerizing majesty of "Eternal Frost" then "Death Camp Earth" is the album for you. Everything about this material is truly epic and beautiful. I don't really think it fits Szron's album title or subject matter, but that doesn't matter to me so much when their compositions are this incredible. "Death Camp Earth" really just draws the listener in and immerses them in this layer of darkness and melancholy, similar to what a lot of Atmospheric bands pull off these days. However, there seems to be some decent influence from the likes of Mgla or Plaga in their sound this time around to give them a much darker edge than we've heard previously. This certainly doesn't rip-off the sound of the aforementioned bands, because it is all cast in the style that Szron has played for years whenever they've touched upon their more Burzum-esque riffing.
"Death Camp Earth", for me, is Szron's masterpiece release. I'm not sure everyone will agree, but its an evolution that I feel has been a long time coming for this project. They had it in their writing repertoire to produce something truly special and immersive overflowing with a special atmosphere and now we finally have that.
Under the Sign of Garazel, 2011
Genre: Black Metal
Cultes des Ghoules:
1. Ridden with Holy Grace
Szron:
2. The Black Prophecy
Side Cultes des Ghoules: ...coming eventually...
Szron:
After a fairly lackluster performance on "Zeal" I was a little worried now that it seems Szron has returned to their usual level of activity. As usual, with their splits they split with yet another legendary project from Poland, Cultes des Ghoules. This vinyl 7" is limited to 500 copies and not hand-numbered. It comes with a lyric insert though. It sort of has a lazy split cover though. One side is the cover image with the Szron logo and the other side is the cover with the Cultes des Ghoules logo... for some reason I thought this was kind of silly to have two sides at all.
I am very happy to report that the Szron material on this split is awesome! "The Black Prophecy" is one of the strongest songs they've ever written. This is the kind of material I want them to build an album out of. Drop the old 90's Norwegian scene worship, just play this! Sure, its derived from the early, but this brand of harsh Black Metal sounds so much more vicious and genuine from Szron. I love it and I highly recommend people check this track out sooner than later.
Under the Sign of Garazel, 2010
Genre: Black Metal
1. Permafrost
2. Reign in Hydrogen Cyanide
3. The Race of Satan (Messengers of the Void)
4. Nekronihilistik
5. The Beckoning (The Vision)
It's a been a long time since "The Purificating Flame of Annihilation", but here we have finally gotten the next full-length from Szron. "Zeal" is a huge step up in quality for Szron, but it still manages to maintain that raw and sharp edge of all their music, which is something I love about them. It seems like "Zeal" came and went through the metal community without much interest. This is sort of surprising given how good the material was on the split with Kriegsmaschine... but upon hearing "Zeal" I can see how this was sort just passed over.
"Zeal", naturally, stays true to the Szron sound of being heavily steeped in the mires of the early Norwegian scene. This album clocks in at nearly thirty-five minutes and for the most part I wasn't as moved with the material I was from their earlier efforts. Some of the songs try to build that punk-ish feel into their sound again at certain points, but this didn't really serve the material that well. A with some of their other releases their material is quite varied between that harsh Gorgoroth inspired style with some really majestic riffs. "Reign in Hydrogen Cyanide" is surprisingly the best track on the album. It has a lot of qualities that make for a beautiful and immersive experience, but every track around it is this hateful and vicious style of Black Metal. Perhaps my expectations were too high for this release, I'm not sure... but I think I was expecting a lot more from their years of silence.
If you wanted that dose of raw Black Metal, then "Zeal" might appeal to you. A lot of the tracks felt more flat than anything else. Nothing truly jumped out this time except for "Reign in Hydrogen Cyanide." We'll see what Szron has in the future for us... I'm definitely not going to stop watching their releases based on one lackluster release.
Under the Sign of Garazel, 2010
Genre: Black Metal
1. Soil Enriched by Blood
2. Lycanthropiac
3. Wintry Misanthropy
4. New Sun Rising
5. Coldness Supreme
6. Gascleansed
7. Supremacy or Death
8. Return to the Woods Pt. I
9. Panzerdeath
10. War Hate Death
11. ...from the Deepest of Sleeps
After four years of silence Szron finally return... with this compilation. This is actually worth getting if you are already a long time Szron fan. It features a lot of material never released on CD until now. Here "Land of Frost" appears for the first time since its 2001 release date, making this instantly worth getting, given how immense that demo was. This material was also available on CD in 2002, but the track "Gascleansed" was only available on the tape edition. I think the tracks have also gone through some serious mastering as the collection was pressed onto CD and it really sounds very crisp. The rest of the material is compiled from the splits that were only available on vinyl. "Reign in Frost" closes with a previously unreleased rehearsal track "...from the Deepest of Sleeps". This sounds a lot like the rehearsal session released as "Cult of Death". So, if you've missed out on a lot of Szron's prior material this is a great release for the rare materials.
Under the Sign of Garazel Productions, 2006
Genre: Black Metal
Szron:
1. Panzerdeath
2. War Hate Death
Total Genocide:
3. Hate
4. Evil Domination
Side Total Genocide: ...coming eventually...
Side Szron:
Don't be alarmed by this new Szron split. This really isn't new material. This appears to be material from the "Cult of Death" rehearsal, but it sounds like its an actual studio version. These versions were recorded back in 2003 though, and it seems Szron has just been sitting on the recorded material. Now it is finally released on this 7" split limited to 500 hand-numbered copies and I have #422.
The song "Panzerdeath" has had some serious upgrades in the guise of samples of warfare throughout the track. Hearing just the rehearsal version on "Cult of Death" it seems to lack something, but this studio version really fleshes things out. It gives a real sinister old school bent to the song that was really lacking in the rehearsal version. "War Hate Death" is harsh primitive Black Metal worship, but I don't think the studio version made it sound anymore special. I feel like its akin to a slower Gorgoroth track, but it lacks the atmosphere Gorgoroth were able to really evoke with their style. Ah well, its a decent split and definitely hearkens back to Szron's more raw efforts over the years.
Under the Sign of Garazel, 2006
Genre: Black Metal
Szron:
1. Beneath the Conscious Perception
2. Where Life is Absent
3. The Great Antagonist
4. Mankind's Funeral
5. Hatedriven (Satan's Reich)
Kriegsmaschine:
6. Annihilate Prime Factor
7. E.
8. The Fall, in All its Glory
Side Kriegsmaschine: here
Side Szron:
Here we have the second split catered to us by the mighty Szron and Kriegsmaschine. It's been a while since we've heard from either project and Kriegsmaschine have really made their mark with "Altered States of Divinity" as one of the preeminent bands to be watching. While Szron's reputation may not be nearly as lofty, "The Purificating Flame of Annihilation" did leave us all wanting something more from them. I'm all for bands taking their time between releases to write the best material, but sometimes returning with a split just isn't enough. Luckily Szron bring us five new songs instead of just two or three.
Szron still play the same vicious style as was present on "The Purificating Flame of Annihilation", but I think the tracks they've submitted for this split have a bit more of a haunting edge to them. It's definitely a slightly different incorporation for the band, but it works really well in their sound. I think it acts as an excellent bridge between their more somber riffing and the violent style they've been incorporating more. This material really doesn't deviate too much from what we've heard beyond that. As usual, if you're looking for that primitive and hate driven Black Metal from the old days, Szron are certainly doing a good job of keeping it alive.
Under the Sign of Garazel Productions, 2004
Genre: Black Metal
1. Beyond the Gaschamber Door (Intro)
2. Crushing the Traitors
3. Christianhater
4. Forgotten Paths
5. Total Cleansing
6. At the Edge of Autumn
7. The Vision of the Coldest Hatred
8. Usurper's Wrath
9. The Night of Our Retribution
It has been a long time coming, but this is Szron's official debut full-length. Based on how they've been building up their style, I was immensely curious as to how they would sound on this release. The good news is they really put together an incredible debut for us. The bad news is that its limited to 666 hand-numbered copies, of which I own #210.
This time Szron decide to put together a creepy into to set the atmosphere for the album. This actually works pretty well as they move into the opening track "Crushing the Traitors" which is an incredible song. It's slow and atmospheric like we heard on "Frost Eternal" and I was hopeful that we would get an entire album treated to that style. This isn't true, because with "Christianhater" we get treated to a hateful anthem that sounds like an upgrade to the material on "Pure Slavonic Blasphemy", so I am not one to complain about that! "Forgotten Paths" goes after the vicious old school style from the Arkona split. This is all just to give you an idea for the amount of variation in Szron's Black Metal. It's almost a total re-visitation to their catalog, but updated and stronger than before. The rest of the album kind of keeps this theme going of blending a lot of things into one piece and for the most part it works pretty well for Szron. They write well enough to make it sound excellent amidst the variation of Black Metal.
In the end "The Purficating Flame of Annihilation" is an excellent onslaught of old school Black Metal. The writing is quite different enough to keep everything interesting and I think a lot of people would find this effort to be very well done. Szron is proving themselves to be one of the stronger acts in the Polish region and they are definitely a band to start following closely.
Under the Sign of Garazel, 2004
Genre: Black Metal
Arkona: Zrodzony z Ognia i Lodu
1. Zrodzony z Ognia i Lodu
2. Matka Zima
3. Niech Połączy Nas Kosmos
Szron: Mankind's Funeral
4. The End of All Life
5. The Flame Shall Purify
6. Nocturnal Horde
7. Tumulus
Side Arkona: here
Side Szron:
I was a little worried about Szron's writing from their prior split, but this material comes a year after their first split with Kriegsmaschine. Once again Szron has split with another great Polish act and this is really where I first experienced Szron. I had known about Arkona for quite some time and enjoyed their music, but I had never really heard Szron before this. This split is limited to 666 hand-numbered copies and I own #440.
From their split with Kriegsmaschine we get the impression Szron wants to add a serious layer of vicious hatred into their sound. I feel like they seemed to have trouble blending it with their more somber passages. So, when hearing the split with Arkona, I really felt anything could go at this point. I am very pleased to report that they have really developed a good blend between their two styles on this release. The songs are vicious and hateful, yet powerful at the same time. The saddest part is "The Flame Shall Purify" closes with this amazing riff and I wish they played it more! The Szron side closes with the pic "Tumulus" which clocks in a little over nine minutes. Its quite an excellent ending and is more akin to the style found on "Frost Eternal". This is a great performance from Szron and they finally have a good blend between their raw and vicious style and that majestic blend they were doing on "Frost Eternal". I still prefer the that expansive atmospheric style... but this is quite good as well. A very good split overall.
Garazel Productions, 2003
Genre: Black Metal
Szron: Possessed by Utter Hate
1. Supremacy or Death
2. Return to the Woods Pt. I
Kriegsmaschine: The Flame that Burns Inside
3. The Flame that Burns Inside
4. Stigma
Side Kriegsmaschine: here
Side Szron:
Szron have delved into the realm of releasing 7" splits with fellow Polish musicians. I feel like this is something that happens to most projects in Black Metal eventually. It's pretty rare for me to find splits with music I look forward to hearing from both bands. This split is limited to 200 hand-numbered copies and I own #194.
Based on "Frost Eternal" and how good Kriegsmaschine is, I was pretty excited for this. I'm sad to say I was kind of disappointed with the music Szron put forth for this split. It's sort of similar to the first two tracks from the "Cult of Death" rehearsal. "Supremacy or Death" is more of a frenetic blend of slow riffs that are supposed to be groovier with intense blasting sections. Sometimes the pace is almost doomy compared to the other sections of the songs. "The Return to the Woods Pt. I" is a far more traditional Black Metal peace, and I do mean traditional where if it came out in 1991 it would be heralded as a masterpiece. This song is much better than "Supremacy or Death" in my opinion. The catchier riff in the song, is actually pretty catchy this time around. For some reason, I just feel like both songs lack the majesty of their prior recordings. The material serves as representing a level of extremity that I think both Kriegsmaschine and Szron were aiming for on this release. The Szron side even states "Our aim is not to get rid of 'god'. Our Aim is to kill his children." So, with that sentiment, it makes sense how harsh and vicious the songs sound. I think part of my problem is that I feel I've heard Szron write better material, but if this was my first experience with the project I think I would love it more. Unfortunately... I heard "Frost Eternal" before I heard this.
Garazel Productions/Blutreinheit Productions, 2001
Genre: Black Metal
1. Soil Enriched by Blood
2. Lycanthropiac
3. Wintry Misanthropy
4. New Sun Rising
5. Coldness Supreme
6. Gascleansed
On the heals of "Pure Slavonic Blasphemy" Szron have returned with six new tracks, which is shocking. Either way, I was excited to hear this new demo... if you can call a thirty-five minute release a demo, based on what I had heard with their first release. It looks like Szron was swiftly picked up by Garzel Productions based on their first release and with good reason. "Frost Eternal" is an incredible release for them. It comes on a pro-printed tape and a pro-printed multi-panel booklet limited to 250 hand-numbered copies. I own #65.
"Frost Eternal" is an incredibly sombre and moving work. Just listen to the song "Wintry Misanthropy" and bask in how much that song overflows with atmosphere. If "Pure Slavonic Blasphemy" was influenced by the likes of the more intense aspects of the Norwegian scene, "Frost Eternal" is influenced by the later Burzum albums. The riffing is a lot more well thought out and focuses on creating a very dark and brooding atmosphere. "Frost Eternal" eventually transitions out of this incredible atmosphere when "Coldness Supreme" kicks in. Here we get the other kind of material Szron plays, which comes off as a lot more gritty and unbridled. The music is faster, but has that driving beat that is reminiscent of the days when Black Metal was transitioning out of Thrash Metal. Even though "Gascleansed" is listed as a bonus track it really fits in with "Coldness Supreme". Both styles of play are quite good, but I really wish Szron would separate the material. They do such a magnificent job of creating this intense atmosphere, but then finish off with two very intense songs that really pull the listener out of their reverie. That's really the only complaint I could have for this release. Both styles are extremely well executed though... so it really is hard to complain about in the end.
This demo is really an incredible release and if this is the direction Szron is trending then I really can't wait to hear more from this project! Such great music in such a short amount of time too. If "Pure Slavonic Blasphemy" was worth hearing "Frost Eternal" is an absolute must.
Under the Sign of Garazel, 2002
Genre: Black Metal
Pure Slavonic Blasphemy: 2001
1. ...Into the Halls of Atlantis
2. Raping the Lambs of Christ
3. Heathen Blood
4. No Remorse
5. Day of Holocaust
6. The Dark Slayer
7. The Appearance of Hoar-Frost
8. Ancient Purity
9. Creator of Evil
10. Moonlight Enshines the Altar of Frost
Cult of Death: 2002
11. War Hate Death
12. Usurper's Wrath
13. The Forest's Spectral King
14. Pure Slavonic Blasphemer
15. Panzerdeath
16. Return of the Warlords
I had heard some of the more modern material from Szron before this, but I wasn't sure what to expect from the debut and I'm, frankly, shocked at how good this sounds. The original 2001 demo is long out of print, but this re-edition gives us a treat of a rehearsal from 2002. I can see why this sorely needed to be repressed once the originals were gone. This re-edition is limited to 500 hand numbered copies and I own #189.
"Pure Slavonic Blasphemy" is some truly spectacular primitive Black Metal. I think it really draws heavily on the earliest of the Norwegian scene blending the likes of Darkthrone, Gorgoroth, and Satyricon together in one menacing experience. I feel like Gorgoroth is one of the more reigning influences on this release given how some of the more raw songs sound like "Heathen Blood". Blend all this with the early Polish Black Metal scene and you'll have what "Pure Slavonic Blasphemy" really sounds like. You can hear Sacrilegium, Arkona, etc. influences within this music and Szron put it on a more updated recording. Don't take "update" too literally, the recording is still raw and harsh, which really makes this material shine through. Strangely one of the longer songs "The Appearance of Hoar-Frost" is the one I didn't like as much as the others. The riffing didn't feel as solid in the mix of the rest of the album. But I think they more than make-up for this with the longest track "Moonlight Enshines the Altar of Frost" which is quite an intense, yet gloomy ride steeped in some serious Gorgoroth styled riffs.
"Cult of Death" is pretty much what you would expect it to sound like. It's a raw and harshly recorded rehearsal with just one guitar, drums, bass, and vocals. It's an interesting piece in the sense that some of the tracks have never been released. Unfortunately, the writing on the first two tracks is a pale shadow compared to the works of "Pure Slavonic Blasphemy" and "Frost Eternal". The writing is a lot more primitive and doesn't have that mesmerizing edge to it. Instead they focus on the gritty, almost punkish, style of Black Metal. "The Forest's Spectral King" is a real welcome change to the first couple of tracks. Here the old Szron style really shines through and gives us a pure dose of well written Black Metal. This is also where the bass guitar really starts to show through in the music for some reason, its almost like the first two tracks are this entirely different thing from the remaining tracks. "Return of the Warlords" has some really spectacular writing and I really hope this is indicative of what's to come in the future Szron releases.
"Pure Slavonic Blasphemy" really a must hear release if you're into some of the pure Black Metal of the early 90's. Szron does an excellent job of really making this material shine with production that is both harsh and audible at the same time. If you're already a Szron fan, this is definitely a great collectors item for you to hear some unreleased material!
Where are the download links ?
ReplyDelete...what download link? This site has never had any such links, this site supports the buying of physical music.
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