Artist......: Halny
Album.......: Zawrat
Year........: 2024
Genre.......: Black Metal
Label.......: Via Nocturna
Source......: WEB (16bit)
Encoder.....: libFLAC
Bitrate.....: 1005kbps avg.
F.Rate......: 44.1kHz
Playtime....: 00:33:12 / 251.16MB
R.Date......: 2024-03-22
S.Date......: 2024-03-22
Website.....: http://deezer.com/album/563684262
01. Zawrat 6:12
02. Limba 3:12
03. Wiecznie 7:15
04. Faust 5:00
05. Maj 5:18
06. Turnia 6:15
The eternally phasing aurae of a blindly indifferent natural force and its
plunder of the nerve of mankind below manifests as sinister awe, a reaction
to terrifying beauty which bears the strength to tear a tree up from its
roots just as well as it might strike the mind with blinding, disastrous
madness. The pressurized atmosphere and electromagnetic skies presented by
Opole, Poland-borne black metal quartet HALNY are an omen of oncoming
mass-mania and a celebration of the supra-natural forces of nature
abounding. Their debut full-length album æZawratæ appears as an embrace of
what is out of the realm of human control with great admiration for
awe-inspiring surroundings and the sometimes unseen connection between
habitant and habitat.
Halny formed circa 2015 between folks who appear to have been involved in
death/thrash metal band Sekator in their earlier stages, otherwise weÆre
given no specific context for the years in between beyond
guitarist/vocalist Pawel Patyniak serving as the engineer and producer of
the album, the artwork coming by way of second guitarist Wojciech Fikus,
and their work generally being suggested as inspired by the folklore of
their region. Though as we take a closer look at lyrics and song titles
most of the songs on this debut refer to mountain passes and exceptional
viewpoints along the Tatras, the highest peaks of the Carpathian mountains
which border southern Poland, assumedly the setting for the ôhalnyö a force
of wind and a natural ill omen not unlike the lunacy inspired by the moon
of yore. Otherwise the main inspiration one can quickly pick up from the
bandÆs work is generally modern Polish black metal, moreso the generations
spawned beyond the popularity of the third Mgla album and of course taking
note from the early works of Furia (see: ôFaustö). Though æZawratæ is not
necessarily a full-on avant-garde or post-black metal record it does
present a modern and well-rounded approach to variety through mild
abstraction within its six song ~34 minute run-through.
Beyond the aching and inching-forth stride of opener and title track
(ôZawratö) and the tumultuous slapping of ôLimbaö in introduction of
Halnyæs sound the first hint that these folks have arrived with some high
competency is a bit buried in the pocket-shoved bass guitar tone and the
eerie waft within the middle of the latter piece. These folks clearly have
some strong aptitudes, well above-average musicianship beyond the sort of
underground naturalist first impression given. That said their own
experting spin upon the modern Polish black metal spectrum arrives with the
psych-doom walk of the bassline which opens ôWiecznieö, one of the longer
and more character rich pieces on the full listen which appears to step
well outside of the usual underground monkey-see, monkey-do of black metal
in general. Snaking leads, ear-spiking chords struck, and an almost
progressive touch to this piece acted to quickly ingratiate me to the full
listen of this album and thanks in no small part to the hypnotic and
unpredictable induction this song ultimately brews.
What Halny do from this point should naturally set their work apart in
hindsight (or, repeated listens) as they hold on to that lofty, mysterious
atmosphere and sustain whatÆd been achieved tonally at the peak of
ôWiecznieö, having mustered and sustained that momentum through follow-up
ôFaustö. While we are amidst that sparking particulate carried in thier jet
stream the production values here certainly are prompted by a guitarist,
setting some priority for the warbling effects-bent lead shaping first, but
the rhythm section only seems to have warmed as the thrum of ôFaustö
eventually gives way to its swerving power chords and double-bass kicked
ride through. The line between something skillfully achieved and somewhat
accessible versus a deep-set, uncaring underground black metal record has
been crossed and re-crossed at this point to the point that æZawratæ
clearly isnÆt just another record by the time we hit what IÆd consider the
major highlight of the album, ôMajö. With consideration for this point of
peak immersion, the dramatic lead guitar strokes applied to the piece, and
the sort of thrashing-in presentation of the song from my point of view
this song is Halny striking with their most compelling detail while the
iron is at its hottest, most pliable state. Needless to say the album
continues to carry its rhythmic momentum through its short length and, I
suppose in this case brevity could be reasonably applied as a fault.
Cutting off the conversation mid-flight, before theyÆd finished the thought
yet likewise before theyÆd belabored the idea, æZawratæ is left feeling
terminally brief at just ~34 minutes in length, leaving well enough space
for one more piece which mightÆve acted as either a grand finale or a
wind-down before cycling back to the start. The full listen remains
repeatable to some considerable degree, IÆd probably sat with this record
for four hours per sitting four times in the a span of ~4-5 days, though a
single sitting with the album would often leave me wanting another four or
five minutes up at Halnyæs considerable altitude. With this level of
familiarity in hand IÆve found æZawratæ not only memorable upon return but
surprisingly tuneful per its tendency for veering rhythms and the overall
groove applied to its rhythm section. This might read less æundergroundÆ in
terms of black metal than some will appreciate but for my own taste this
fits well within the more promising spectrum of modern Polish black metal
envision and seems to bear its own potential for unique style in the
future.