_ _______ _ ...:... _ _______ _
___ / .:::::::::::. \ ___
| / .. (:::::::::::::) .. \ |
| . .:::::.`:::::::::::'.:::::. . |
| .::.. `:::.::':::`::.:::' ..::. |
_ _______ | .::' ::::':::::`:::: `::. | _______ _
\\ | | :: `' ::':`:: `' :: | | //
\ | | `:. .::' . `::. .:' | | /
. | | .::::::..::::' ... `::::..::::::. | | .
| | `:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::' | |
.... | | `:' `::::: :: :: :::::' `:' | | ....
| ' | : `. ': :: :: :: :: :` .' : | ` |
|.....: . .......: :: :: :: :: : ...... . : ....|
. ...................: : :: :: :: :: : : ................. .
_____________:_____________ _____________:_____________
_ ___\` __ /_\` _______/_\` __ _/_\` /___ _
// __ / (/ ___/ (/ _ (/ /_______/\
_ _ /_________ ___________ ______/\ _ ______________/\__/_ _
\\\\\_________\__/\_________\__/\_____/\_____/\____________/ ///
- -\-\-----------\__/----------\__/-------\_____/---------------/-/- -
- -------------------: : :. ..:: :: . :------------------ -
: : :......: :: :` ': :: : .....: : :
___ _ | | : ` ' : | | _ ___
_\---------- : | -------- : B E R C : -------- | : ----------/_
/_\ . : . ..:.. ..:.. . : . /_\
/// . . : : . . \\\
/: :\
/:: Artist :: Olhava ::\
:: Album :: Memorial ::
:: Year :: 2026 ::
:: __ _ _ __ ::
-:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:-
:: \ / ::
:: . Genre :: Black Metal Source :: CD . ::
:: Label :: Avantgarde Music R.date :: 2026-03-28 ::
_::__ Cat.nr. :: AV554CD S.date :: 2026-02-27 __::_
::// \\::
::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\::
:: ::
/: Encoder :: LAME 3.100 -V0 :\
..: Bitrate :: avg. 272kbps :..
. Quality :: 44.1 kHz/Joint Stereo .
. Size :: 160.71MB .
. .
__ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __
.\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////.
+/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: 1. Ageless River X 4:56 ::
:: 2. After I'm Gone 14:16 ::
:: 3. When the Ashes Grow Cold 20:21 ::
:: 4. Ageless River XI 5:33 ::
:: 5. Memorial 13:24 ::
:: 6. Ageless River XII 6:33 ::
:: 7. The River Wakes 7:29 ::
:: 8. Ageless River XIII 5:46 ::
:: ::
:: ::
:: ------- ::
.. >> 78:18 ..
__ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __
.\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////.
+/ -\------- | | ----\ release notes /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: ::
:: As a black metal fan, it's easy to miss out on hidden gems, due ::
:: to the sheer number of new releases produced each month (if not ::
:: each day, if you follow a wide range of media outlets) or ::
:: simply due to a lack of time, or even motivation (yes, it ::
:: happens to the best of us). Sometimes, all it takes is a good ::
:: old-fashioned newsletter with eye-catching artwork to make some ::
:: fabulous discoveries. That's certainly how I stumbled upon ::
:: Memorial by the Russian band Olhava, who have been active for ::
:: ten years already. ::
:: ::
:: Announced by Avantgarde alongside the exceptional The Outsider ::
:: by Old Sorcery, these two releases, among others, make for a ::
:: near-perfect start to the year for the venerable Italian label. ::
:: I mentioned the cover art earlier because I find it ::
:: magnificent: a small house with a single window warmly ::
:: illuminating the dark forest at the bottom of which it sits. We ::
:: breathe in the nostalgia and the memory of a comforting place, ::
:: perhaps forever lost except in our minds. ::
:: ::
:: Let's step through the door of this house to get to the heart ::
:: of the matter. The album consists of eight tracks, including ::
:: four ambient instrumentals ("Ageless River" X to XIII, the ::
:: first nine iterations being found on the albums Ladoga (2020) ::
:: and Sacrifice (2024)) which provide welcome respites throughout ::
:: the nearly one hour and twenty minutes that await us here. The ::
:: whole thing is designed to be listened to in one sitting (the ::
:: songs flow seamlessly into one another), and this structure ::
:: makes perfect sense from the very beginning. The ambient ::
:: opening track perfectly introduces "After I'm Gone," with a ::
:: gradual build-up leading to a barrage of blast beats, which ::
:: nevertheless carry a beautiful melody with ever-present ::
:: keyboards. The variety of the composition is also noteworthy, ::
:: with one track offering very well-judged shifts in mood and ::
:: rhythm. ::
:: ::
:: And that's just the beginning, as we move seamlessly into the ::
:: twenty-minute next track, "When The Ashes Grow Cold." I think ::
:: this sequence can be considered a single unit within the album, ::
:: so complementary are these two songs, and which, for me, ::
:: represent its pinnacle. The Saint Petersburg duo demonstrates ::
:: masterful control of their craft, offering us atmospheric black ::
:: metal of a rare quality, even if I find the vocals far too ::
:: subdued compared to all the other instruments, which is rather ::
:: surprising given the excellence of the production. I can't ::
:: discuss every track in detail, as they all have their own ::
:: strengths (and still suffer from the same issue of the vocals ::
:: not being prominent enough), but know that Memorial, in its ::
:: entirety, is absolutely worth the time you can dedicate to it. ::
:: ::
:: Managing to hold a listener's attention for such extended ::
:: periods clearly demonstrates genuine musical talent, provided ::
:: the listener is able to fully immerse themselves in the ::
:: experience. Olhava has made the effort to facilitate access to ::
:: their world; let's seize this opportunity to disconnect and ::
:: escape. ::
:: ::
:: . _ _ . ::
\: :. \\ ___________ . ___________ // .: :/
__\____ :: ____ ___\ _ / BERC : 2026 \ _ /___ ____ :: ____/__
\\\f3! :: \\\ __ _/_________i_________\ /___/ /// :: cRO///
\ :: :\-\___________\_ ___ / _ _/___________/-/: :: /
:: | . . _ _ _/ __/ . \_ _ _ . . | ::
: :::::::: | | \\\\\/ _______\____|\ \///// | | :::::::: :
:: | | -\-\/____/-------------\____\/-/- | | ::
:: | | \ :|: / | | ::
: : | . ` ::: ' . | : :
. . | : ::: : | . .
| :::....:::....::: |
: ::::::::::::::::: :
. :::''``:::''``::: .
: ::: :
. ::: .
.:.
: