Maras

This is okay I guess. I mean, what the fuck else can I say about a band whose only aspiration is to make black metal, as though it were some kind of fucking bizarre chemistry experiment where adding too much or too little of acid A into flask B will result in an explosion. 'Maras' is black metal with a hint of thrash and beyond that it doesn't really have any ideas so I could just as easily give it a 'SOLID BLACK METAL CHECK IT OUT' review as I could a 'THIS SUCKS AND HAS NO CREATIVITY'. As I'm a reasonable person (or one incapable of having an opinion on something), I'll just split it down the middle.

Essentially this sounds like Dark Funeral through a Slayer filter; it has those same typical chord patterns we've heard in every fucking Swedish black metal band since the beginning of time but there's too many skank beats and and rhythmic guitar riffs to really make this fit perfectly into the Marduk mold. There's lots of militaristic marching rhythms and recycled Kreator riffs to go around alongside a snarl that sounds much more sure of the music it's in front of than it should be. I think there are literally no melodic or rhythmic ideas present on this album which have not been used about a thousand times before so I guess I could say that if you like black and/or thrash metal in general you will probably like this.

I think what annoys me about 'Maras' is that it has nothing to say but it's so fucking EMPHATIC about it. I mean, I have to give the band credit, they sound very motivated and serious about their incredible generic music, but really this doesn't elevate it any further than it would have gone on its songwriting merits. The songs have no identities independent from each other, and it all feels absurdly long at 40 minutes. Everything that needs to be said is said within the first track and stretching it out is just an exercise in the listener's patience.

Now I've shit on this album a lot but really there's nothing particularly wrong with it. It's listenable and has pretty good, clear production, but after x number of years in the metal scene you've heard everything on this already and done better. 'Maras' is probably impressive if you've been into extreme metal for under a year but other than that it's a pass. If you find it in a bin for like $5, yeah, why not, but otherwise who cares.

I’ll admit, this is the first Lithuanian black metal album I’ve ever brought, and I’d just like to say how impressed I am, there are massive thrash influences on this record- and the band come across as a darker, heavier Keep of Kalessin.
The first track “Sauksmas Lapkricilo Migclose” begins with an absolute battle anthem of an introduction, true drumming before bursting into some excellent thrash infused riffage, before picking up pace rapidly and kicking in with drumming which can only be described as fucking awesome. The production is poor, but nothing less was expected. The Vocals are average, nothing special but certainly not bad by any stretch of the imagination, of course the songs are all in Lithuanian, but the beautifully packaged digipack (which I’ll discuss later) comes with English translations), there are some clean vocals in this track, but they are laden with effects so I cannot fairly judge the singers ability in this regard. There are also some incredibly thrashy breakdowns fused with black metal riffs, it really is an excellent combination.
“Blodgio Triumfas” surges in relentlessly, and as it it quite a short song it cannot afford to half the momentum for even a second, fortunately it doesn’t and this album continues crushing like some demented bulldozer of black metal.
“Maras” means plague in Lithuanian, and the opening riff infects and entwines you as the pestilence that is this song takes hold of you, mesmerising you in a sea of superb riffing and drumming (I cannot hear the bass), the vocals are as tight as ever, perhaps a little stronger on this track. It is also perhaps the most thrashy so far, and I believe this band is inspired by Keep of Kalessin to some degree, though of course I do not know that for fact. The variety of riffs is simply stunning and I think I can say with all honesty, thrash metallers who don’t even like black metal could probably enjoy parts of this album.
“Mintya I Naktiles Tyla” is a very short song (just under two minutes) and blasts to all sides with riff after riff of extreme metal destruction, naturally the pace of vocals is faster and there is a nice snarl featured here. Not my favourite track, but there is some excellent vocal work on display here
“Miglose” begins with some seriously, seriously intense drumming and a scream, which would make Attila, run for cover, the riffs for this song are kind of generic and the drumming kind of stale, but that may be because the tempo has decreased. This is nothing to the three-part storm at the beginning of this record, but should certainly turn some heads. The clean vocals manifest elegantly in this track which makes up for the generic riffing.
Demoniska Audry Naktls starts off almost like an Exodus or Slayer song, as in drum beats combined with some vocals which remind me almost of Morbid Angel’s “God of Emptiness” before breaking into a riff which is best described as throttling, the vocals then return to their normal black metal level, and once again we see serious variety and breakdowns before an irritating screech echoes throughout, such stupid interruptions ruin many otherwise classic song sin my opinion (such as Valfars “wo”’s on many otherwise excellent Windir songs)
Genocidas – I don’t think you need a translator to figure out what that means, but this song enters the dray riffs blazing, drums rolling, surprisingly there are few solos present on this album. Which is a good thing in some ways, but still surprising for a thrashy album. This is real headbanging material and ends with an excerpt from a Hitler speech which leaves me at a loss as I have a friend of Lithuanian origin who despises Hitler for the slaughter he inflicted upon the Lithuanian people, oh well
Pazadintas Ritualu what can I say which I haven’t already said? True intensity with drums which sometimes overpower everything else in the mix, a little into this track the old drums get “tubby” and there is some seriously crap wolf howling, well I think its supposed to be wolf howling, whatever it is it sucks.
Viesulai Kraujuojanciame Danguje Ok, that’s a long song title (especially in another tongue) but then again, this song makes up for it with tremendous riffing and drumming in perfect cohesion, that guy actually has a very good snarl on this track and what can I say, there are yet more excellent break downs- but this is kind of monotonous and similar to track 8 aside from a really cool breakdown or two
Tamsiu Nakti, Juodu ugnithis next track is a lot slower and appears to be positive in nature, it is reasonably catchy though, it could be an adaptation of a Lithuanian folk song, which I am guessing looking at the chanting of the title which pretty much makes up the vocals for this song, sounds almost like an African chant, it is actually an interesting juxtaposition and I would love to learn what it means
“Tormentor” the Kreator cover ends this release in a stunning fashion which resonates power and supremacy, though I must confess to not been much of a Kreator fan this song really changes my attitude, even though it is just a cover, there are few mistakes at all on this and for the first and last time on this release we are granted a solo.
I feel the digipack itself needs to be mentioned, it is quite simply great, featuring a lot of artwork, the lyrics to six songs and their translations into English, you simple couldn’t ask for more.
In conclusion, excellent riffing though it gets slightly monotonous towards the end, some nice folk chanting and cool cover- fans of both thrash and black should love this