Saturnian Mist "Repellings" Cassette

A playtime of more than 27 minutes can indicate a double album (crustcore), a full-length (punk or thrashcore) or only a single song (ambient Burzum). Here we have an EP and we are talking about Finnish black metal. This alone, the combination of Finnish and black metal, makes my pulse run faster, even if it brings me in touch with pretty rumbling songs that cannot escape their rather blurred production. Quite the opposite, I like the harsh and very raw mix. Saturnian Mist do not play the most extreme form of black metal, but the sound of this EP lends the songs an extremely dark and roughshod appearance.
The band does not distinguish itself from its national competitors, neither by original compositions nor unexpected instrumentation. And I just can say it again and again: this is no problem, because I like this Finnish form of generic black metal. A small number of tempo variations, endlessly hunting guitars and almost inhuman vocals make my day. The songs do not lack depth, substance or violence and that's just great, even though some very academically-trained wise guys will speak of primitive patterns, a lack of musical understanding and one-dimensional vocals. I admit that they are right - but simultaneously wrong. Some good poems are not completely aligned with the grammar of their respective language and nobody takes care of this, because poetry and grammar do not need to go hand in hand. And it's the same with musical dogmas and black metal. Sometimes these are two totally different things.
As indicated before, the guitars have a very raw and dark tone. They dominate the sound and spread an aura of devastation. Furthermore, the solo at the end of the closer adds a morbid touch. In combination with the hammering drums and the massive reverb of the lead vocals, the songs develop an all-encompassing sonic system. The longer I listen to the EP, the more I like its sound, although it is far away from the wet dream of a young sound engineer. It doesn't matter. People who like bands such as Behexen or Azaghal will also enjoy the here presented compositions that do not suffer from repetitiveness or boredom - and that's no matter of course in view of their opulent lengths. Highlights? The first, the second and the third track, I would say. On a more serious note, "Repellings" is no milestone, but a really strong document of black metal from land of the thousand lakes. It breathes the magic of the genre every second of its playtime of 27 minutes.

Saturnian Productions 2009 

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