До небокраю життя...

The opening of "Pathways of Fate" right after the brief intro, is not only one of my favourite introductions to an album for its catchy and at times chaotic folk nature, but it makes it clear and evident that Kroda have evolved as a band, if on the debut one of my complaints was that the folk segments were limited in form and expression to the point of being one dimensional and overly repetitive, the members of Kroda decided to up the ante severely on this sophomore album.

Towards the Firmaments Verge of Life is a very obvious successor to Kroda's debut, basically because the style is totally similar in every possible way, having already had the idea well conceived but with problems of execution, the ideal would be to focus on everything that was left unpolished from the previous work. In the credits you can see how, not only have the traditional instruments increased exponentially, but Eisenslav, who had previously only done vocal duties, is also added to the instrumentation, which seems to give a more satisfying result to those folkloric segments that Kroda relies so heavily on. These feel more vibrant and are also more varied, making each one able to display different ranges and emotions, from beauty to epicness to brotherhood.

The guitar is once again a fundamental factor in Kroda's sound, repeating the pattern of using very marked and memorable riffs of extreme sharpness, with a certain influence of death metal, to take the rhythm of most of the compositions, which in many occasions results in the songs having a very direct tonality that is cut with the introduction of more melodic moments. In addition, a new instrument that gains prominence are the keyboards, they already had some outstanding moments in the debut, and it is not that here their use stands out beyond a couple of punctual moments, but their stay throughout the songs is much more noticeable and helps to add more layers and new dimensions to the music. The drum programming is also improved, sounding much more natural and organic, and with those awkward moments where their atonal and mechanical sound was used to accompany the folkloric segments disappearing, on this release there has been a very noticeable effort on the percussion, making it one of their strongest points.

I think the most remarkable thing about the album is, that it really feels like a band rather than a two person project, if you are familiar with Kroda's discography I think you will agree with me that this album of the first 3 is the one that comes closest to sounding like the late period of the band, and that's because each instrument seems to have its own identity within the composition and the way it is played, it also helps the use of backing vocals at certain moments to enhance certain moments and give a feeling of unity.

Overall Towards the Firmaments... is an album that changes just enough and just the necessary to be simply a better form of what Kroda tried to be from the beginning, but there is one thing that doesn't quite improve, and that is the time management and the basic compositional scheme. This problem is somewhat exaggerated by me to some extent, because there is no denying that Kroda's compositions try in every possible way to be varied and entertaining without losing any hint of authenticity and feeling artificially prolonged, but even if they have variations, all the tracks follow the same pattern, so if you let yourself go with the flow of the album, which is quite easy, you can have a totally delightful experience, but if you're not in the mood the style can get a bit boring by the second half of the album, and considering the debut already had that exact problem the weariness of that style can be accentuated, as well as feeling like a wasted opportunity since you've improved on everything else.

I am aware that this happens because the members of Kroda go for a very specific sound and style, and I am not asking them to do something different to satisfy my whim, but I think they could have been a bit more adventurous on this album, adding the same elements that characterize their work but with different nuances or approaches. Of course they could have done it and the result could have been even worse, but sometimes that odd twist is what separates a masterpiece from an album that unfortunately is limited to being only very good.

It’s interesting to document the geographical chronology of the second wave of black throughout the 1990s. From the earlier offerings to come out Norway, Finland, Greece, and the US, considered to be the bedrock of our understanding of black metal’s different shades to this day. Through to the mid-1990s with France, Austria, and Poland all producing enduring household names with distinctive takes on the format. Then by the late 1990s the Quebecoise scene amalgamated and developed many of the traditions found across Northern Europe. And despite being a much lamented decade for metal in general, the 2000s saw a flurry of activity across Eastern Europe as far as black metal was concerned, chiefly in Russia, Romania, and Ukraine. From the earthy abrasion of Hate Forest to the obscured mysticism of Negura Bunget to the folk threnodies of Temnozor, this part of the world is not short on ideas.

But the enduring appeal of these artists is rooted in the fact that they were able to carry the promise of Scandinavian black metal forward after their Northern forebears succumbed to rampant and undignified excesses. The Ukrainian style is undeniably distinct, with many artists drawing heavily on local folk traditions and melding them onto a uniquely imposing variant of the usual black metal calling cards. But there is an integrity and authenticity to many of these works, born of a genuine desire to communicate uncommodifiable messages through their art. And because of this honesty we let our guard down, safe in the knowledge that we are not being sold a façade or duped into empty novelty. This purity of intent has remained a common background thread running throughout the music of this region since its inception as a black metal hotspot.

Kroda are a prolific act in this field, who boast an extensive discography of folky infused black metal, nurturing a style that is now generally accepted to be pagan black metal. This specific but popular subgenre tends to distinguish itself by embracing the pageantry and joy of paganism as well its malevolent aspects. Despite operating in a firmly black metal framework, the folk instrumentation, melodic inflections, and rhythmic traditions will frequently switch to celebratory and joyful moods, embracing the full richness of pre-Christian spiritualism and worldviews.

When done well this gives the music a broad expressive range, one that is both stirring in its emotive immediacy whilst also reaching beyond the individual’s perception of their place within the world. It reaches for the firmament as much as it burrows into our internal preoccupations. The fact that the clownish tendency within metal so often co-opts these sincere motivations should not detract from the reputation of the subgenre as a whole.

Reaching back to 2005 sees Kroda on their second album, ‘До небокраю життя…’ (‘Towards the Firmaments Verge Of Life…’). Along with Noktrunal Mortum, the work of Kroda offers some of the best examples of Ukrainian pagan black metal. This is an ambitious work that seeks to marry understated symphonic black metal with folk instrumentation and melodic traditions that inform many of the riffs and drum patterns scattered across these tracks.

What makes albums like this worthy of their own subgenre is the fact that the folk traditions inform the actual shape and structure of the music itself. This is not just black metal with some flutes and jaw harps, this is the application of black metal textures to ambitious and epic folk pieces that bounce from cinematic metal to bouncy folk rhythms with ease, with both western rock and Ukrainian music history converging to enhance each other.

The production of this album reflects this intent. The guitar tone is kept meaty but unintrusive. They are just as happy articulating epic chord progressions of a broadly black metal tradition as they are picking out delicate yet cheerful refrains, there are also plenty of catchy heavy metal riffs thrown in for good measure. Although the guitars remain the central narrator to these pieces, the chief qualities that concern us are as much textural as they are melodic. Drums are equally as diverse, jumping from fast paced folk beats to blast-beats, but largely sticking with solid mid-paced rock rhythms with no shortage of fills and cymbal-enhanced crescendos. They act as the bridge between the competing ancient and modern impetuses on this album. The drums, being as old as music itself yet here rendered on a modern rock drumkit, are well suited to integrate this eon jumping album.

Vocals stick with a solid, distorted narration that is both measured yet not afraid to indulge the strong emotive threads that run through the entire album. They are also frequently prone to jump into cleanly sung passages, again humanising the more mystical qualities inherent in ‘До небокраю життя…’. Soft synths sit in the background, acting as the sonic equivalent of distant hills and fog drenched mountains on the edge of vision, framing the borders of our tale.

At every angle this album presents itself as an utter triumph. From a purely academic standpoint the talking points are endless. From the number and range of techniques deployed across all the instrumentation, to their measured and patient arrangement into a unified and solid work of singular intent. But the soul of this album is also undeniable, the passion behind the pieces themselves, and the wish to express humanity’s relationship to the deeper threads of our history in a more immediate and human sense than the oftentimes abstract and alienating routes that black metal takes to get to this point. Juxtapositions abound, from the pageantry of the pagan aspects of this album, the overtly joyful direction the music takes without ever falling into empty sentiment, but equally the latent aggression and darkness that continues to raise its head and remind us of the jeopardy and fragility of life. An accomplishment broader in scope than much black metal, yet just as deep are its dives into the human condition as it could be in a world beyond modern Western hegemony. They retain a dignity and sincerity that avoids the empty novelty or hollow comedy that so often came to define pagan metal at large.

Originally published at Hate Meditations

Wow.

I picked this album up for 9 euro when I was at Metalcamp in slovenia. I was expecting run-of the mill pagan metal, and boy was I wrong. This album is nothing short of amazing. Everything from the vocals down to the flutes, then to the booklet and all around atmosphere. When It comes to Ukrainian bands I really only think of two: Drudkh and Nokturnal Mortum, and I much prefer Drudkh eventhough the latter does have its moments. But do not be mistaken, this album is in a whole new realm, only occupied by bands like Negura Bunget of Romania.

First for the instruments. The first thing on this record that you will notice are the guitars which have great production, and some very original black metal riffs. The second thing you notice is the folk instruments. I have never heard a slavic band pull off flutes so god damn well. For example, in the song Pathways of fate, in the middle there is this beautiful interlude of flute and percussion, which then goes right into emotional and melodic guitar riffs. The drums are programmed to the best of my knowledge, which usually bothers me too much to listen to the music, but they seem to make it fit in without standing out. The vocals are not just the regular black metal sort. Eisenslav really varies his performance on this album and delivers some very haunting and aggressive rasps.The bass is not very audible, which is usually the case in black metal, but that is really ok with me. There are some keyboards in the background but they do not drive the songs what-so-ever.

The next thing I did right after I bought this cd was look through the booklet, which is worth the album price by itself. It is filled with pictures of the Ukrainian counrtyside and some drawings of the two members of the band. Just to look through it you feel as though you are being transported hundreds of years back into the time of many gods, in the slavic world. I can only imagine how much time and energy was put into a booklet like this from such an underground band (apparently all of the photos were taken by Viterzgir). You can really tell that this band has a commitment to the music that they make.

Of course with all of these sort of bands you have a special atmosphere with every album, this album is quite mellow compared to much of the black metal from this region. Yes it does have its more aggressive sections but on the whole it is really quite calming. Even the blast beats seem to be soothing.

The reason I have not given this album a whole 100% is because of the proggramed drums and sometimes the guitar riffs are a bit odd with everything else. Other than that this album is sublime, and I recommend it for any fan of folk, pagan or melodic black metal.

“Towards the Firmaments Verge of Life…” is Ukrainian folk/pagan black metal band Kroda’s second full length album and a very interesting one at that.

Playing black metal with harsh vocals incorporating lots of folk instrumentation may be fraught with the danger of coming off somewhat disjointed but Kroda manages to pull it off very effectively.

The quality of this album lies in the fact that the “metal” and “folk” parts of the album are melded together almost seamlessly. The drums are mostly black metal blasting and interestingly the bass often becomes audible as well (mainly through the slow folk sections of many songs), which is not all that common in BM. Catchy guitar riff and the odd solo also helps to keep the listener interested.

The prolonged use of the flute and mouth harp on this album may reduce this albums wider appeal, but for those who like a decent amount of folk with their metal Kroda’s “Towards the Firmaments Verge of Life…” is definitely worth a look (and clocking in at around 55 minutes your money).

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