CD edition limited to 300 copies. All music and lyrics composed by Tron during 1997-1999 A.D.
WEL (pronounced "Vel" because WeltEisLehre) is a project from the time and place where that iconic Gomel music was created. Radzim (ŠMIERCIESLAŬ, OYHRA, ZMROK) is also involved, but this time as a performer, not a composer. All the music and lyrics were written by his friend, nicknamed Tron, from 1997 to 1999. I don't know what they were drinking at the turn of the century, but for Radzim and his circle, that period was pivotal – it was then that "Biessmjarotny czorny mietał," "Praź piačory mistyčnaha azareńnia," "Zaimhlonyja dali prynosiać uspaminy," and "Blukanni ǔ Ćiemry" were partially or completely composed.
The temporal context is crucial here. "...From where the night comes..." is a banal "they don't do that anymore," to which one wants to add "and they won't do it again." The album draws on rare and unpopular reference points in the form of ancient synth-driven Black Metal (early GEHENNA, SATYRICON, and DIMMU BORGIR, for example), as well as the equally ancient Eastern European scene, especially the Polish one. Such music practically doesn't exist today. Its heyday and decline were those very years at the turn of the century, when the pillars of underground metal grew rich and embraced experimentation, and their fans—often far less talented—did everything they could to preserve the spirit of a bygone era. Extreme metal with primitive synths ultimately lost the battle against the cumbersome, pretentious imperialism and shitty industrial metal. There were, of course, objective reasons for this. It wasn't just that the mainstream didn't need this kind of music, but also that not everyone could play it. It's a very delicate undertaking; every riff, keyboard part, melody, and lyrical line must be approached with a completely clear understanding of what you're doing. A couple of false notes can turn the whole thing into a pitch-black farce about operetta-style vampire faggots.
"...From Where the Night Comes..." in this regard lives by the laws of the era. Aesthetically and musically, it strives to do everything right. The former is quite successful – the wildly romantic production and colorful lyrics in the spirit of early BEHEMOTH (minus the horned princes of pagan darkness) raise no questions. The second part isn't so clear-cut: sometimes WEL sounds like a well-crafted, respectful nod to Burzum, sometimes like beautiful, distinctive, and atmospheric metal, and sometimes like pure Russian crap from More Hate Productions. It's good that the latter doesn't happen often (and after a couple of listens, you stop noticing it altogether), but you can't take the words out of a song. Then again, the music was made in a different era, when the sources of inspiration and their perception were completely different, and that's also part of the spirit of that time. If Radzim had been the main composer, he would have surely honed everything to perfection, but Tron decided to leave a bit of a garish edge. A faithful rendering of the original concept is more important in this case. "...From where the night comes..." is a thing unto itself; it will have no sequel; it doesn't care about fashion or the scene with its demands. It's a time capsule from the last century. Take its contents as is, or don't take them at all.
The album was recorded almost 20 years later, in September 2017. Radzim was in charge, so nothing betrays its modernity except the overly high-quality sound of the programmed drums. Frankly, I was convinced it was the real deal until I looked at the booklet. The CD artwork matches the music: amidst the overall beauty, lyrics are interspersed in black on a dark gray background, images of completely different quality can be found on two pages, and so on. Underground! You can see everything in detail in the video. While we were struggling with the source material and suffering from a lack of funding, WEL managed to negotiate a cassette release with Depressive Illusions Records. The release took 3142nd place in the portfolio of the infamous Ukrainian label, but came out a month and a half earlier. The CD version can be ordered here.
Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=Fz9L1kGw_gs
