Photo by Vladimir Ivanov. Logo by Mistart. The first album of Atmospheric Black Metal band from Belarus.
Inspired by old Burzum. Belarusian lyrics.
The album released by Stygian Crypt Productions on CD. Design of album by cz (Vinterriket).
Vietah [vetʌh] - old (waning) moon from belarusian.
One man projects aren’t out of the ordinary. Society suggests that we humans are doing more and more on our own and for ourselves. The concept of helping others, or doing things together is lost in the fast, free-flowing modern world. There is no reason why the music industry should escape this surge of selfishness. Or is it intelligence? Instead of filling the position of such instruments as bass and drums with other people, why not just learn how to do it yourself? That way the creative freedom is solely in your hands. Sounds like a fantastic idea. No one but yourself to answer to is, in many respects, people’s ideal situation to be in. Whether that be in the form of their love life, or in a working environment, being your own boss is the ultimate goal so it shouldn’t come as any surprise that more one man projects are springing up. Black metal musicians though have become accustomed to leaning on things like drum machines which sound unprofessional and too dainty for such a genre that requires extremely dark atmospheres. The repetitious drums don’t deter the positivity and considering bands like Abyssic Hate have conquered this growing scene with a drum machine, I don’t believe it ever will deter the majority of listeners.
There is a suspicion, given the rigidity on the drums, that Antarctis could use a drum machine himself. Bands of this nature (depressive black metal) usually aren’t against the use of drum machines and considering the size of the scene in Belarus, it isn’t difficult to imagine why Antarctis would opt for a drum machine as it might possibly be his only option. The drumming, though an integral part of the metal cog, isn’t what usually grabs a listeners attention in this particular sub-genre and Vietah are no different from the rest in that sense because it is in Antarctis’ use of keyboards and guitar that really catch the eye. However, having said this, the material present here won’t set the imagination free. It’s very much inspired by Varg and his ventures with Burzum, particularly the likes of ‘Hvis Lyset Tar Oss’, an album which springs to mind constantly throughout the course of this debut. The use of the keyboards and guitars in conjunction with one another is definitely inspired by Burzum. The guitar distortion is certainly weaker than that Varg uses on his album, but the point of the music is driven across well enough.
With this in mind, is ‘Zorny Maroz’ worth it’s weight in gold? Yes and no. For a number of reasons, I am apprehensive about this act. First, due to the similarities, there is no doubt in my mind that this band will receive the “Burzum clone” treatment, despite the extent to which it is warranted. Vietah’s music combines the efforts of albums like ‘Hvis Lyset Tar Oss’ and merges that with ‘Filosofem’, though the production doesn’t quite have the strength to match the biting riffs and ambiance of either of those albums. The similarities to Burzum are far too obvious for anyone to class this as an original piece, though it never seems to strive for that despite songs like ‘Vietah Dy Samotnaja Zorka’ which features a lone distorted guitar playing out a very unmemorable riff in a “nothing” song. Ofcourse, the songs on this record aren’t a like-for-like copy of the songs of the aforementioned Burzum records, they do sound alike. ‘Zorny Maroz U Dalinie Zimovaj Imgly’ is a prime example of this as it builds incredibly slowly, as Varg does on ‘Hvis Lyset Tar Oss’ before drawing out the vocals and heavy distortion through the ambiance.
The vocals are very similar to that of Varg’s though they are not as strong, but when worked against the background of the distant keyboards and dissonant riffs, the vocals work well and have character. The album consists of generally long songs, which play out at varying speeds, from slow to fast-ish, so the vocals fit into the mix nicely, without ever really excelling. The keyboards play a very important role in the soundscapes, which are stunning in many respects, often depicting destruction of beauty or pain and sorrow. The difference between Vietah’s use of keyboards and Burzum’s is that Varg used the keyboards as a driving factor throughout the ambient songs, not the songs with vocals. Vietah, on the other hand, use the keyboards consistently which is more pleasing to me than what Varg decided to do with the keyboard sections of his songs, something which newer bands like Lustre do well, too.
In terms of the other aspects of this record, apart from those Burzum similarities which even pass on to the drums, the lyrics are not supplied so we’re left to decide what those are by ourselves as the vocals are indecipherable, and perhaps in another language to my native language. Lyrically, one would imagine that Vietah express the same ideologies as most black metal band’s and depict the same emotions too. Raw anger, subtle pain and unadulterated sorrow all seem to flow through the vocal expression by the band’s leading man. Considering the lack of information on Vietah, it is damn near impossible to give any sort of opinion on previous material, as this seems to be the only material that exists in the public eye and it’s even more difficult to give any information on the man behind the music because his identity is very well hidden. Considering those things, one must appreciate the high standard of material laid out for us because, for a debut, it is good. Though the Burzum influence is too noticeable and the percussion is controlled by a drum machine, or so it seems, the material present on the debut is solid and strong. Although it won’t compete with any of the top acts out there, it will be pleasing to those die hard fans of depressive black metal.
Sample:
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