Master Alafern is nothing if not prolific and on Svyatogor’s ‘Doctor Veritas’ he lends his considerable skills to an album that combines the heaviest elements of symphonic black metal with folk to produce an album that brilliantly captures the ethnic elements of traditional Ukrainian music as well as the icy, blackened riffs that fans of Master Alafern’s previous work will have come to expect. However, there is more to Svyatogor than simply combining folk and black metal; there is an artistic sensibility and warped playfulness wrapped up in the band’s music that sees all sorts of other elements come into play as the band craft a rare metallic gem that will have you returning time and again.
A four-piece, Svyatogor comprises Master Alafern on lead guitar and violin, Arius on guitar and vocals, Amorth I.M. on drums and Duk on bass. The album starts out in relatively straight forward fashion with the sound of a heart pumping giving way to a grinding riff that is quickly augmented with mournful violin. It’s a great opening track that recalls elements of Eluveitie and, rather more bizarrely, Chthonic. Meanwhile Arius proves to be a commanding presence, his vocals full of power and authority and produced with the clarity they deserve thanks to a brilliantly handled production job. The music is at its best when doing the unexpected – the moment when the guitars strip away to leave the throbbing, almost sensual duo of bass and violin – before crashing back in with twice the power, and it’s clear from the outset that if we are to expect anything from Svyatogor it is that they will never pander to the gallery – this is music created on their terms and we, the listener, are clearly at the band’s disposal and not the other way round. ‘Work hard, eat, watch’ (a rather depressing indictment of modern life) is a blistering tune that has elements of Dimmu Borgir circa their masterly ‘puritanical euphoric misanthropia’ album, although that is only a starting point and not a direct comparison as in truth Svyatogor sound like no one else but Svyatogor. The highlight of the song comes roughly half way in as a sample gives way to a MASSIVE grinding riff and Arius’ rage all but boils over, his voice a harsh, metallic rasp set to a suitably apocalyptic backdrop. ‘The manifesto’ starts on a gloriously unconventional note, Master Alafern’s guitar almost classical in its intonation – as if the band decided they wanted to perform a concerto on the guitar, whilst the syncopated rhythms laid down by the band keep things from settling down into a set pace. It’s an awkward, intelligent song that’s hard to follow but worth the time spent in doing so and, once again, it sounds quite unique. The title track is a heavier beast with an almost doomy feel to its scything central riff and blackened vocals and it has an atmosphere all its own with its strangely whimsical verse offset against the monstrous riffs of the chorus –if you can imagine fantomas covering Dimmu Borgir and black Sabbath in the same song then you have some idea of what this might sound like.
Things take a heavier turn with the elegant, crushing ‘nor fire, nor sword’ with its methodically destructive riff and programmed drums. It’s a lugubrious , twisted, industrial trudge through blackened paths and it sounds both suitably immense and compellingly disturbing. ‘Awoke/incoming’ is equally dark, the riffs densely clouded in smoke yet the music overall imbued with the same jazzy time signatures and unconventional attitude that makes the rest of the album so utterly enthralling. It’s metal, but not as played by any other band, and the fact that the lyrics (those written in English at any rate) are intelligent and interesting adds yet another layer to the already complex work the band have crafted. ‘Spit and forget’ opens with the sound of a cheering crowd before merging into a bass-led chugging riff that is blacker and more conventionally metal than anything else here, although Master Alafern’s solos, as ever, raise the game for anyone hoping to follow the band down this particular, twisted path. Melodic and gloriously layered in mystery, ‘inevitability’ follows hot on the heels of ‘spit and forget’ with its swirling vortex of grinding guitars, guttural vocals and melodic, beautifully phrased solos. Meanwhile the importance of Duk’s ever present bass cannot be overstated, the vital groove laid down playing a vital part in the gloriously unhinged music the band have wrought.
Of the final two tracks ‘Lust’ is a furiously fascinating effort and, with its half-whispered vocals and pulsing bass-lines, the song does it’s best to replicate the titular emotion, albeit in a bestial, subverted form. That just leaves the grand finale of ‘reincarnation of thoughts’ which closes the album with a fiery blast of galloping rhythms and searing guitar leads as if to let us know that after everything, Svyatogor love to rock out as much as anybody else, although even here they do it on their own terms with multiple riffs phasing into view only to be snatched away again just as quickly just as you think you have a handle on the song’s direction. Moreover, without wishing to spoil the surprise, the outr to the track is just brilliantly unexpected.
As with everything Master Alafern has put his name to, Svyatogor are a band that embrace the unconventional to bring a sound that is as unique as it is thrilling. That is not to discount the undeniable talents of the rest of the band, however, each member has a vital role to play with both bass and percussion deserving a mention and Arius in particular holding the attention with his perfectly delivered vocals. You will hear louder, brasher, more conventional records this year, but few as gloriously unique and carefully crafted as this effort from Svyatogor – a brave and enthralling release indeed.
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