Band: Odraza
Album: Esperalem tkane
Genre: avant-garde black metal
Year: 2014
Label: Arachnophobia Records
"Odraza" is Polish for "revulsion" or "disgust." Hailing from Silesia, Odraza is a two-piece metal outfit whose sound is best described as urban, nihilistic black metal. Their music reflects on such topics as depression and the abuse of alcohol. Odraza's Esperalem tkane (meaning Woven with Esperal -- a drug used to treat alcoholism) is a bleak vision of modern urban society, rife with drugs, violence, and vanity, yet it is performed so eloquently...
The band's style is very progressive yet at times is reminiscent of old-school black metal. The album is laced with sounds of the urban sprawl. "Niech się dzieje" opens with the sound of a passing train shaking the walls of a building, immediately bringing to mind the image of a filthy apartment situated next to the tracks (a la The Blues Brothers). "Esperalem tkany" features an atmospheric sample that evokes a bereft alleyway. The urban decay is not only limited to outside sounds on this record; the instruments advance the story set in motion with the rattle of the train. The guitars have a gloomy texture to them, and the bass grumbles in the filth of the gutter. The vocals are a harsh roar, like that of a crowd shuffling along on the sidewalk. During "Próg," the vocalist breaks out into a violent coughing fit, which brings to mind the repulsive filth of the album cover.
And that is exactly what the band is aiming for: filth. Revulsion. Odraza. Yet the Polish duo manage to lace the putridity of their metropolitan soundscape with some beauty. Softer passages dot "Esperalem tkany" and "Próg," and the album closer is a rather somber affair. Regardless, Odraza is unrelenting in their vehemence. The music is as passionate as it is experimental.
Odraza has not only put forth great effort with Esperalem tkane, but they have shown that they are a force to be reckoned with in the Polish black metal scene. You can immerse yourself in this bleak soundscape on YouTube here.
Rating: 5 / 5
Top Tracks:
Esperalem tkany
Próg
Tam, gdzie nas spotkamy
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