Both sided, grey/black splatter 180 gramm vinyl + 12" size insert. Limited to 226 copies released in collaboration with Putrid Cult.
The debut album of the veterans of the Polish BM scene. Rooted in the Scandinavian and Polish True Unholy Black Metal.
In these cold nights everywhere you look you see silver shine of the frozen ground and the full Moon which is calling you to join his journey. Full moon in Slavic folklore has a special place. “Vukodlak”, or the werewolf, half-man, half-wolf is walking somewhere in the woods led by the voices of the dead. He is searching for new victims for Nav, the underworld. As the “Fear of the Dark” says: “I have a constant fear that someone’s always near”, yes, some red eyes and excellent scent can smell your high blood pressure and you can literally feel that he is fed by your fear. This is how the art design of “Wrath” inspired me but that is not all. I ran on this band accidentally. On my misfortune I haven’t heard of the band before. I can tell you, these Polish werewolves are awesome. I was very delighted to hear a mystic beautiful melody at the beginning called “Mortal” and the wind behind it. It made a fairy-tale atmosphere before pretty classical black metal intro. I walked through the night with one of my favourite mythical creatures. Melody of epic guitar riffs with this rough voice is one tough combination. There isn’t much difference to typical black metal through most of the album but guitars in “Wilczy taniec” changed my mind. These gentlemen know how to make a solo that brought big refreshment to the album. I was amazed! Another good thing about this album is that every instrument, including the voice, is used equally, solid production made a material of good quality in black metal world. You have one new fan. A clock above my head is showing midnight, world from the other side of the bridge is opening, all the darkness is coming to us, talking us with “Wrath” and that’s the main feeling that I had listening to the last song. I didn’t like the vocals during the listening but by reading the name of the songs and the album that anger in voice made a full impression of what Szary Wilk wanted to say. If werewolves come to my window I will let them take me with them. I am curious if the Nav or hell are that scary as I thought or less evil than this album is. If Dajbog asks me why am I there I will say that Szary Wilk is guilty for that and I won’t be sorry.
Ostrołęka, Mazowieckie, Poland’s Szary Wilk (Grey Wolf) released their debut album “Wrath” on February 19, 2021 via Putrid Cult. In an album that bridges the chasm between the grit of the old ’90s style and the dynamics of today’s more melodic approach, Szary Wilk has dragged into a grim light the very best elements of both eras in a brilliant yet stripped-down synergy of black and heavy metals. This album is pure, uncut BM that resonates with a very one-dimensional buzz, which takes a few minutes to adjust to. But once you begin to absorb the music’s raw energy, you’ll find yourself with a greater appreciation for this timeless art of minimalism that captures the essence of most forms of Black Metal. You’ll find yourself in that place where the moonlight cuts through the woodland canopy as wolves call out in the night; senses honed for the hunt and forever bound by primitive diabolical energy. The intro to the opening track “Mortal” sets a haunting tone as the waking groans of evils ancient and wise welcome the night in its cold, windswept sullenness before an onslaught of rolling, blackened tremolos carry you deeper into where there is no hiding from what lurks in the darkness… The masterful compositions in “Mortuous Voco” build upon an already epic foundation laid by the previous two tracks. This riff-oriented, melodic piece of Black Metal excellence is driven by basic rhythmic patterns that give way to steady flurries of feathered blast beats. And Czuly’s vocals, which have been rather stocked up until this point take on a more desperate and urgent tone. The album closes with its titular track. Prepare to be swept away into a vortex of blackened energy that twists your innards into knots with each chugging guitar riff. Szary Wilk sink their drool-soaked incisors into your helpless throat for the kill in these final moments of what has been a truly lethal weapon of an album. I generally gravitate toward modern Black Metal, because I’m of the mind that a genre is an art form deserving of the grandiose compositions, varying influences and all the other bells and whistles that complement contemporary BM so well. But every once in a while, a band like Szary Wilk will slither out from some hellish recess to remind me of how sinister my favorite sub-genre can be when its baser energies are harnessed and unleashed in the old unfiltered style. With “Wrath”, Szary Wilk are trimming the excess and dealing out the old-school wickedness in spades. Behold the beauty of true Polish Black Metal in all of its stripped-down and soulful purity. Meet me here where spirits of primal aggression and diabolical evil play in this orchestra of hate-fueled darkness. True BM is alive and thriving in places not forgotten but rarely visited these days. Remind yourself of why you got into Black Metal in the first place with Szary Wilk and “Wrath”.
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