Long renowned for its underground metal scene, Poland plays host to some of the finest names in extreme metal. Whilst Behemoth and Vader fly the flag internationally, if you have only encountered those names, then truly you have only scratched the surface of what the country has to offer. Ever present in the darkest recesses of Polish culture, Godz ov War productions has done more than most to bring metal to the masses and their roster, which includes Arkona and Pandemonium reads like a who’s who of extremity. New to the label are Misanthropic Rage, whose avant-garde take on black metal recalls the likes of Satryricon, Darkthrone and Emperor at their most esoteric. Make no mistake, ‘Gates no longer shut’ may be the band’s debut, but it reeks of a puritanical commitment to the living flame of black metal.
Opening with the frost-rimed riffs of ‘In a blind dimension’, Misanthropic Rage immediately set out their stall as a band of note. With jarring, atonal riffs and layered vocals juxtaposed against stately passages where harmonised guitars summon images of decaying grandeur, ‘In a blind dimension’ demonstrates both talent and ambition and it is a ferocious start to the album. The title track is no less grandiose with imperial riffs and chaotic percussive blasts giving way to a sinister passage that has much in common with Ulver’s otherworldly atmospherics. Ferocious and yet hypnotic, it is a testament to the band’s skill that they weave all of the threads together into a coherent narrative that draws the listener ever further into their hell-bound web. An album highlight, ‘I, the redeemer’ is a sulphur-scented descent into madness, the clean vocals set in opposition to harrowing screams that seem torn from the very depths of human suffering. Relentless and brutal, ‘I, the redeemer’ is a ferocious masterclass in excoriating misanthropy which leads neatly into the seven-minute mini-epic ‘Into the crypt’ which, with its Floyd-esque solos and crushing riffs, offers up a darkly progressive take on black metal that is astounding in its technicality and crushing in its refutation of human warmth.
Another epic lies in wait with the horrific ‘Niehodowlany’, a corrosive, treble-laden mix of blast beats and awkward riffing. Ramping up the cold hatred and bleak atmosphere of the early tracks, the latter half of the track devolves into an arty mess of creeping bass and exquisite soloing. More immediate, although no less impressive, is the punishing ‘Cross hatred’ before the album concludes with the compelling ‘I took the fate in my hands’, a bold statement of self-determination rooted in the Nietzschean will to power philosophy and bound up in an icy hatred that leaves the listener gasping.
So deeply involved and theatrical is the band’s delivery that the forty-minute run time leaves the listener enervated. Although many familiar tropes of black metal are present, they are twisted and moulded into the band’s own unique soundscape, offering something new to an increasingly overpopulated landscape. Referencing a wide range of artists, Misanthropic Rage draw the myriad threads of their influences together with deft skill and an emotional resonance that runs through the centre of the album like a thin, obsidian vein. Innovative and at times genuinely progressive, ‘Gates no longer shut’ is a black metal masterpiece. 9
