Mayhem -- Grand Declaration of War (review)

Artist: Mayhem
Album: Grand Declaration of War
Genre: avant-garde black metal
Year: 2000
Label: Season of Mist

Mayhem (or The Trve Mayhem) are regarded as one of the most important bands in black metal due to their debut album's significance in the second wave; however, I have chosen to explore their discography starting with their controversial sophomore album.  And what a strange album it is.  Grand Declaration of War is as inventive as it is absurd.
The record functions as a single unit, with each track flowing into the next.  Many of the songs are broken into two or three separate tracks.  This abnormal structuring matches the music perfectly.  The album has a mechanical sound, with crisp, calculated drums and cold, buzzing guitars.  Songs like the opening "A Grand Declaration of War" and "View from Nihil (Part I of II)" have a strict sense of martial order, filled with the rattle of war drums.  "A Time to Die" is a technical whirlwind of black metal fury.  The band also expand on their sound with electronic elements.  "A Bloodsword and a Colder Sun (Part II of II)" sees the band wandering far from metal into trip hop territory.  Towards the end of the album, the band places a series of tracks consisting of absolute silence, flirting a bit with John Cage's famous 4'33".
Mayhem's vocalist, Maniac, also pushes the limits of black metal vocals beyond the typical shrieks and rasps.  He also employs processed vocals and cleans later in the album.  What is most jarring about Maniac's performance is the spoken word segments, which make up about half of all the vocals on Grand Declaration of War.  When coupled with the marching beats and tight production, this advances the album's militaristic feel.
Mayhem really came out of left field with Grand Declaration of War, but it seems they toned down their experimentation on future releases, sadly.  Perhaps that is why this record stands out not only in Mayhem's discography, but in the realm of black metal as a whole.  Give this album a listen on YouTube here.


Rating: 4 / 5
Top Tracks:
A Bloodsword and a Colder Sun (Part II of II)
A Grand Declaration of War
Completion In Science of Agony (Part I of II)
A Time to Die

Odraza -- Esperalem tkane (review)

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