Okrütnik was a new name to me and by the look of it, the band itself is quite new, having been formed in 2018. I understand they have carved out a reputation as a live band, having toured their native Poland with Turbo. Instead of all the bombast that you sometimes get with press releases, this one pleasingly just told me the facts, namely that Okrütnik plays a blend of “old school heavy metal with first wave black metal influences”. So far, so good.

The sound at the start is cold and distant, stepping up to an intriguing mix of a Mayhem like withering ring and a hard-hitting black n roll style. The vocalist sounds like he smokes a hundred cigarettes a day, which all helps the rancid atmosphere. Yet it isn’t rancid as the drums take us along at great speed, and there’s a vigorous guitar solo. With this rate of energy, I can see why Okrütnik would be good live. That was “Sabat”. The title track follows and immediately launches into vibrant and colourful heavy metal. It’s fluent, powerful and exciting. Technically, this band knows about structure. But in amongst all the fun, horror isn’t forgotten. The church bell sounds monotonously and flatly to ring in “Guślarz” (Sorcerer). This one is more sombre, featuring an echoing voice and dark but strong riff. If I were to picture a scene, I’d say bats were flying around a graveyard. I don’t know what the song’s about as it’s in Polish but I’ll guarantee it is something that’s not very nice. The guitar takes us dreamily away into some other dark place, and dazzles us. Okrütnik know how to creep up on us and take us over. The drum beat meanwhile implants itself in my head. “Guślarz” is another fine track. “Lament Księcia Czarnej Magii” (Lament of the Prince of Dark Arts) was more of an obscure winding road, more in the tradition of old Polish bands like Dark Legion and Christ Agony. It came as a bit of a shock because I’d now become accustomed to Okrütnik’s more accessible black metal style.

“Portret Trumienny, a Na Grobach Kwiaty” (Portrait of a Coffin, Flowers on the Tomb) takes us in an entirely different direction. If anyone had said to me after listening to the first two songs that there’d be a power ballad, I wouldn’t have believed them. It’s gloomy and melancholic but … no. Whilst it demonstrates the range of this band, I just found it out of place and frankly dreary. Hang on, is this the same band? “Noc Galicyjska” (Galician Night) starts with a melodic guitar line which wouldn’t be out of place on something by Children of Bodom or Mors Principium Est. The track settles down, and the guitar wizardry integrates nicely into a majestic song. One up to Okrütnik there. “Czarcie Łoże” (Devil’s Bed) takes us back to the crunchier sound of the earlier songs. Fast, hard and with a ghostly echo, the song proceeds at a pace, and has the high instrumental quality I’d come to expect. The shape of this song is good too, dropping in tempo and picking up again colourfully and mysteriously. “Czarcie Łoże” was a highlight song for me on this album. We can hear the storm, the wind and the sound of the birds – this is the cold and inhospitable introduction to “Wrześniowe Popołudnie Rzeźnika ’52” (September Butcher’s Afternoon ’52). The build up is shadowy, and eventually the pace picks up. The vocalist’s theatrical cries mingle with the vibrant instrumentals towards a dingy and deliberately chaotic conclusion.

There are so many fine bands from Poland, and here’s another one. The skill lies in their ability to develop a song, and of course in the technique. “Legion Antychrysta” is a mixed bag, and it’s as if Okrütnik have tried everything and put it on one album. I’m sure they’ll find their path, and when they do, it’ll be very good and more coherent. For now, “Legion Antychrysta” has many good qualities and is worth a listen.

(7.5/10 Andrew Doherty)

https://www.facebook.com/okrutnikofficial

https://okrutnik.bandcamp.com/releases