Wékeras "Pochwała Cienia" CD Bonustrack

CD released by Nigredo Records. Featuring a bonus live track.

Yes, they still exist. Those four song demos, recorded in one day. Only the fact that there are now three different versions is due to modern times. Originally the demo was released by the band on CD and digital, now Nigredo Productions are in charge for another digital and CD version, this time enhanced by a live song. Despite the title, which is Polish and translates to “Praise To The Shadows” and the more East-European sounding band name, WÉKERAS derive from Stockholm, Sweden. Anyone thinking of Swedish Death Metal is on the wrong path. Even if the band, metaphorically spoken, is traveling the left hand path. The four songs are clearly Black Metal, although sometimes a Death Metal riff sneaks in here and there. “Pochwała Cienia” reminds me of a mixture from “Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism” by IMMORTAL and “Dark Endless” by MARDUK. Both debuts were released 1992, when the second wave of Black Metal started rolling and the desire to sound evil and threatening was often greater than the intention to write particularly sophisticated songs. The vocals are in between shrieking and croaking and the sound is surprisingly good for a demo. About the live track ‘Ohyda’, which is also part of the original demo, one must admit the sound being not that powerful, but that is a natural effect when it comes to live recorded songs. Or at least it used to be that way, before live albums began to be massively reworked. I prefer the rougher version, because that is what makes live recording so appealing. All in all a promising demo, that every fan of early ’90s Black Metal!!

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