This is one very welcome reissue as far as I am concerned as it is the only album from Ukrainian one man act Munruthel that has so far escaped me. The first album I heard was the successor to this one ‘Oriana Tales’ which itself was reissued originally coming out in 1999. Going out on a limb I have to say that it is probably my favourite piece of work as it threw me headlong into a very mystical and spellbinding place full of intrigue and atmosphere and is an album that has had many repeated plays. Naturally I was more than keen to hear what came before it having consumed everything that came out after leading up to latest album CREEDamage just last year. Giving this it’s translatable title ‘Yav, Nav i Prav’ originally came out in in 1997 on cassette via Kolovrat Productions and it was not until 2004 when it finally got a CD reissue which obviously I missed. Munruthel was well known in the underground no doubt at this time as being one of the best drummers in his home country and had found notoriety in the likes of Nokturnal Mortum. He is now more known as a multi- instrumentalist and has also played for many other acts such as Thunderkraft and Astrofaes but this was the first album that gave him complete artistic control, something he no doubt relished as everything you hear both instrumentally and vocally is provided by him.
It’s an ambitious piece of work and perhaps that of an artist finding his feet but the epic feel of opening ten minute number ‘Father Sun (Sunrise) shows that it is also accomplished with a firm idea behind it. Tribal drums and swirling keys take us into a golden dawn full of wonders and the melodic tinkling synth notes are instantly entrancing. This is very soundtrack driven as is all his work. Ominous tones set on edge and danger approaches with garbled alien vocals and militaristic and feudal almost medieval parts, really stirring up the imagination. Atmosphere is enforced by sounds of nature; thunder crashes, a brook babbles, but what sounds like steam escaping is somewhat odd as this trip continues. Later still there is the call of a cuckoo and it takes a bit of getting used to, perhaps having slightly too much emphasis on it but certainly transporting you well away from the stereo into a very different place. Although not completely instrumental, vocals are few and far between. The clean harmony on ‘The Golden Throne Of Svarog (The Ode)’ for instance do not sound completely accomplished and again give the impression that the artist is experimenting a bit outside his comfort zone. The pompous drama behind the austere keyboard work though is fantastic. Lots of different emotions are taken in on the journey, peace and solitude being some as ‘The Frozen Waters (Cold Silence Of The Seas)’ spellbinds as a duet between harp and woodwind.
In a way listening to this is akin to sitting down with a good fantasy book and being transported into its pages. A horse gallops off, a wolf howls , a spoken word passage and clash of swords spill out the speakers. The prevailing synthesized parts are used to excellent effect and really add to the magic of the album which sprawls out over a very comfortable and dreamy hour or so length. You can easily soak up atmospheres here as found in works by the likes of summoning and Negura Bunget and even if I have not found myself quite as blown away as I was by Oriana Tales this comes a pretty close second. Winter definitely triumphs and Icymphony may well be a cringe inducing title but the howling winds and Tangerine Dream enthused key work on it is enough to even make the likes of Immortal shiver! Reaching the end of the album we start at the opposite of how we began with ‘Mother-Moon (Sunset) a track that I instantly recognised and one that I realised is the first track off Oriana Tales.
Reissued with new art and a bonus track this really is essential if you like me have loved the artists work and missed it originally. I would not say it is a work of genius, there are a few rough edges but for its time and for the impact it still has today Yav, Nav i Prav really is pretty damn close to being a classic.
(8/10 Pete Woods)
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