Not entirely sure what is going to happen when I try to post this one up and it may mean reverting to the title in English but I shall at least try to keep things authentic for this one man Ukrainian atmospheric doom project. Apparently the band name can be loosely translated as The Flowers Of Crestfallen Shores which should give some indication of what to expect from its muse Dmytro Pryymak. There may only be two tracks to this debut EP but rest assured it’s not a throwaway exercise in the slightest as both numbers combined bring just over twenty minutes of music to the table.
First track ‘У обіймах (Тихі води)’ gets underway with a tranquil guitar and keyboard refrain heavy on atmosphere and melody before we are quickly given rougher edges courtesy of hoary gruff vocals. It’s all tinged with a doomed demeanour and has a somewhat sorrowful flow to it that’s going to be more than comfortable for listeners who soak themselves in the many acts of this nature from Ukraine and Russia. Spoken word parts add to the textures here and at full force, although never really beyond a slow sermon, there is plenty of weight and ballast about this. On the whole vocals sound suitably angry and whatever the context is lyrically they are very expressive. There are also some backing choral parts adding further definition.
Moving on to second track ‘Якби зорі..’ my head is bowed down by the heavy depressive strains of a song that make me want to stand there swaying as I witness it live. The melody again is heady and flows without any problem throughout the tracks ten minute running time, never becoming stale in the slightest. An acoustic part breaks things up and lightens the mood with quiet whispers in the background and again spoken word parts that are dreamy and evocative before the guttural roars come back in and the brooding opus builds slowly to inevitable climax.
Obviously a lot of care and dedication has gone into showcasing this material and getting it out there. Dmytro definitely wants to be taken seriously and the production (considering this is classed as a demo) is expertly done and full bodied and the disc is presented in a nice six panel fold out digipack design, the naturistic artwork of it making it very clear what to expect despite the fact that I was completely thrown by the charm of the frond like logo.
Apparently the act are looking to get attention and hopefully signed on the back of this and their first port of call should definitely be Solitude Productions as it would fit straight into their oeuvre and on the strength of these two tracks is up there professionally with anything else the label has to offer.
(7/10 Pete Woods)
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