Vietah "Smalisty žah" CD

special for Darkthrone by Varg Vikernes in 1993. Track 7 Darkthrone cover!!

The second 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 [ve'tʌh] - old (waning) moon from belarusian.

Vietah from Belarus is my first discovery of the year 2017. The elegiac anthems of lone wolf Antarctis find the way that leads directly to my metallic Pantheon. I cannot say that each and every of his songs leaves me completely fascinated, but some of the tracks outshine almost everything else that I have heard in terms of somewhat depressive, mid-harsh black metal. The opener of "Smalisty žah" belongs to these songs.
Its first guitar tones pay tribute to Greifi Grishnackh and I see some guys in the last row who are flying the flag with the logo "imitator". But firstly, this musical approach is no private property of Grishnackh and secondly, it does not mean that Antarctis is an unimaginative copycat. "The Lifeless Landscapes Through the Pitchy Glance of the Raven", to use the English name of the opener, develops fantastically - despite or exactly because of the fact that it lies in close proximity to the most impressive winter anthems of Burzum. Profound melodies reflect the grandeur of ice-cold territories and evoke great feelings. The keyboards and the guitars stand shoulder to shoulder and the easily accessible harmonies embrace the listener in a matter of seconds. The double bass is another main actor and ensures the necessary degree of heaviness. I enjoy wonderful twelve minutes of art that deliver, inter alia, the perfect balance between copious instrumental parts and sections where the vigorous voice of Antarctis occurs. Varg will cry out loud when he gets in touch with this frosty monument for the first time, because it would have been the perfect sibling of "Det som en gang var". Okay, he will probably say that he did not intend to write the same song twice, but we know that this would be a lie in view of the strength of the here performed opener.
The glory of the first piece fortunately does not obscure the fact that "Smalisty žah" has more exciting compositions under its belt. You ask for examples? The harsh, comparatively short and compact title track is convincing as well and the same applies for the third track. The last number of the A side relies on a configuration which is similar to that of the opener. Its guitars add this touch of sadness that draws the audience into the song while passing unnoticedly the point of no return. Even the only ambient instrumental which is performed without any guitar is by far not as boring as some other pieces that march sedately into the same direction. To my own surprise, I really like "Paslja paūnocznaja ciszynja" due to the interesting (little) variations of its melody. Moreover, the second (quasi-) instrumental is doubtlessly very interesting in view of its mantra-like sections and its gloomy, autumnal vibes.
The album's mix is fully aligned with the artwork. A frosty mood is omnipresent in view of the atmospheric keyboards and the neither polished nor very harsh guitar sound. Rather clear than burred or filthy, the production matches the intention of the artist very well. There is a certain beauty in this songs and any form of dirt would not have been helpful. This is not to say that Antarctis has put the focus on mild tones. He has just tried to find the right proportions of melancholy and rigour; and from my point of view, he has been largely successful. Without doubt, this album is better than the debut and this is how it should be. I am quite not sure whether it was a good idea to cover Darkthrone's "Quintessence", because from my point of view, it does not deliver new facets of the original version. However, this debatable closer does not determine the weal and woe of this strong output with six great tracks - I don't want to ignore the coherent, partially double-bass driven "Zdzjajsnieńnie" - which have been written by Antarctis himself.

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