When it comes to black metal, Poland are a country that really can’t go wrong; from the likes of Cultes Des Ghoules to Mgła, it seems they’re a nation that have perfected the art without paying too much homage to the ever prevalent jerk circle for Norway during the 1990s. Joining the ranks of the flourishing Polish scene are Sosnowiec trio, Thaw. They put out their first full length back in 2013 and have carved a somewhat unique niche for themselves, marrying together elements of drone and black metal to make something cold, desolate and, at the same time, beautiful.
Follow-up release ‘Earth Ground’ is a further progression of the sound they produced on their first, self-titled release and is both vicious and eloquent in what it has to say to its listeners. What’s great about Thaw is their ability to transition between huge weighty Sunn O))) like passages of drone and icy cold blasts of black metal without it sounding disjointed and hashed together. Instead, the change in tempo is slow and burgeoning, so it feels almost like a change in mood and atmosphere that’s so subtle you’d almost fail to notice it. The partnership between these two genres feels like the most natural thing in the world, despite their wildly different tempos and playing styles.
The flawless blend of aggression and regression, and the buzz and the hum lurking beneath each track, actually drives forward the more frenzied passages making them sound that bit more rabid. The record is book ended rather nicely by first track ‘First Day’ and last track ‘Last Day’ – the production is wonderfully cold sounding and helps to magnify the dark feelings already made apparent within the music. This is most certainly an album you’re going to want to soundtrack your winter and, for fans of Blut Aus Nord and Mord’A’Stigmata, this is a release that you’d have to be silly to let pass you by.
(8/10 Angela Davey)
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