Wartödd "Pagan Pride / Jaskiń Pustki Zew" CD Digipack

Bonus tracks 10-12 are from "Jaskiń pustki zew" demo. Limited 300 copies

Wartödd are a pretty new outfit hailing from Poland. Shortly after releasing a demo they have followed up with a full length titled “Pagan Pride”. This is ceremonial black metal standing on its own as a hypnotic, captivating ritual experience. Ritualistic guitar chords work as counter harmony to the muffled shrieking of the vocals, pushed way in the back of the tomb and guided by a hefty dose of distortion. In case you like your black metal raw and unfiltered you should pay attention.
The first thing I came to notice is the very raw and basic nature of the sound. The production screams eighties/early nineties with especially the drums having this typical slightly steely tone and the guitars offering a noisy and buzz-sawing tone. The instrumentation comes with a nice groove. The guitar work is excellent and the often monotonous and stoic main chords are accompanied by some well-created harmonies.
There is a certain melodic factor in the music, but not so much at the surface, more subtly woven into the overall sound. There are some slower pieces where the bleak guitar sound helps creating an eerie and depressing atmosphere. All in all this album comes across quite monotone, even for that sub-genre, but once you got used to the ritualistic groove and pummeling blasts you might come to appreciate what is on offer here.
This album has a very frosty and classic vibe and mood, thanks to the atmospheric guitar riffs and the heavy use of reverb and hall effects. The feel inside is rather hostile and misanthropic, which is well compensated by the melancholy emitted from the other side. Tempo variations are thrown in for good measure, but there are only few really faster parts. What I really enjoy about this band is their ability to craft special moments and create intense feelings, by finding the right tones while constructing their main themes and harmonies. The lead guitar work is spooky, creating various moods over the course of the record.
Beside the icy guitar harmonies and the raw and angry vocals it is the songwriting which makes this record an enjoyable experience. The album consists of seven grim hymns of darkness (plus intro and outro), and each of those has its very own character. Skipping through the record one might get the impression that all sound a bit samey, and while this is true to a certain extent careful listens will give rise to some great moments.
Like mentioned above the sound is rough and dirty, but this is part of the concept and works in this context. To me this album is kind of a breath of fresh air, as it is not overly technical or complex and not experimental in any sense. This is just pure and simple black metal, played with a lot of passion for the genre for fans of this kind of music. While most certainly not perfect this band and album deserve some attention, so head over to their label’s page and grab a copy of this nice little gem.

Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...