Originally it was demo'2006.
Original titles and lyrics were in Ukrainian. War black with members of Kroda and Dragobrath.
5 compositions in vein of dark and slow black metal with depressive elements. This album is dedicated to all warriors that died in period of WWII. In five songs described thoughts and feelings of the soldier on the battlefield and behind it in emotional way. Only fear, pain, despair. Album showed atrocity and cold of the brother-killing WWII in specific way.
riginally released as a demo back in 2006, Ukrainian one man band Leadhaze enter into the world of atmospheric black metal with a whimper, more so than a bang, with this slow and spellbinding debut ‘Black Water Path’. One could be forgiven for assuming this would be, without knowledge of the bands genre description, a homage to Opeth. Every time I see the title, I am reminded of ‘Black Water Park’ but the two are certainly separate entities. This simplistic black metal vision is an exceedingly odd one, with a multi-layered approach that takes a lot of time to digest despite its aforementioned simplicities. Leadhaze is operated solely by the enigmatic Kroda member Viterzgir. I assume that most people who’re familiar with black metal and its ties, have at least heard of the popular Kroda and can confirm that Viterzgir is a well established musician within the black metal field. His works, though intermingled with folk and Pagan themes, have prepared him well for life alone on this one man effort. His song writing abilities would have been severely tested by the troublesome issues that one man bands face and whilst he has served excitement through simple means, this effort isn’t without its flaws.
His days with Kroda, amongst others, will have instilled an impression within him that he can cope with the tasks that crop up when one operates alone on a single-serving project and whilst he does do a good job, this supposed hybrid does tend to lack a cutting edge amidst a fearsome field of black metal musicians which includes a number of notable innovators and geniuses. This war themed band, who’s lyrics are in Ukrainian, are a surprising package and though that final assault doesn’t quite infiltrate enemy defences, Viterzgir is equipped with enough talent to really make this one man band count amidst the gunshot smoke that impairs the supposed visionaries of the scene, allowing musicians like Viterzgir to really draw in a big fan base. Whilst not being a major fan of Kroda, or any of Viterzgir’s bands, I can accept the belief that he will become a force to be reckoned with in the flourishing Ukrainian scene and possibly the whole of Eastern Europe given the right amount of exposure. According to the genre description, Viterzgir’s Leadhaze primarily operate within a war themed black metal style, but intermingle it with dark metal, a genre that takes influence from areas like gothic music.
Though I don’t particularly hear those elements, I do grasp the overriding dark atmosphere, despite the lightly sprinkled material. I can hear a really odd comparison to Russian’s Kauan, in terms of the atmospherics and varied keyboard influence and though there is only a small section of this material that reminds me of Kauan’s debut, I can hear something. Perhaps it is a general Eastern European vibe flowing in the undercurrents? The distortion of the guitars is even a bit timid under the spot light, often curling up in the face of the enemy like a youthful boy conscripted into the army and forced to fight on the frightening front lines. A lot of the cleaner instrumentation, even from the guitars, is deliciously atmospheric without penetrating into the memory. The cleaner side to Leadhaze does damage the harsher, apparently dissonant aspects of the soundscapes. The distorted variation of the story from the guitars is a bit thin on the creative side and even the prominent bass on songs like ‘To Surmount The Fire’ takes control of the situation as if the guitars are a frozen commander in the line of fire. The soundscapes, in all, are eerie and strange, making me imagine what it would be like to survive a battle and to look out over a field of soaked in the blood of the deceased. When someone dies at war, presumably, that is it. When someone survives, they have those haunting images imprinted into their memory for the rest of their lives and that is what this portrayal feels like.
The emotionally hardened bass, contributing well to the unflinching atmospherics, is a cornerstone of the material. It stands out in its prominence as an element that has a grotesque story to tell. The production is also an oddity, often highlighting certain performances, but endangering the lives of others by signalling a lack of intent in the backing vocals, which are hollowly layered into the background and the subtle symphonies of the almost unnoticeable keyboards for long periods until they spring into action amidst adversities on songs like the self-titled one. Though much of the material is good, in hindsight, on an individual basis, like the seemingly dark metal influenced clean bass and guitar lines, it doesn’t stand up well together and the eerie atmospherics aren’t explored enough for my liking, leaving the unjustified dark metal reference in the dark. ‘Roots of My Clay’ is the only notable song that takes the keyboards on to a grander scale before the guitars override the soundscapes again. Though the harshness of the guitars works well alongside the vocals, Viterzgir isn’t experienced enough as a one man act to layer the songs competently. I find a lot of the songs are found wanting and there is a true lack of combinational play but, despite this, there are some moments that call for praise. Overall, this is a decent debut without ever really excelling onto the next level.
Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
