The Russian metal scene is always interesting, but I tend to associate it mostly with brutal death metal, and it is these death/black metal elements that I remember most clearly about Karcinoma’s 1998 debut ‘The Night… Apogee of Madness’ although there were also symphonic passages and operatic female vocals. Since then, the band went on an extended hiatus between 2001 and 2016 but they are now back with their sophomore ‘Invictus’.
The album opens with a roll of thunder and the screech of birds leading into a tolling bell and piercing screams before a door opens leaving only the sound of the bell and a religious incantation. Serene female vocals overlay the incantation which becomes more and more demonic until the music finally kicks in fully. It’s fair to say this grabbed my attention and I had high hopes at this stage. As the track progresses, the female vocals lay down the melody along with keys. As far as I could hear there were no actual lyrics being sung, rather a vocal melody line and in many ways this acts as an extended intro to the album.
The title track ‘Invictus’ follows with Yana Filippova’s operatic vocals to the fore, but rather than aggressive metal that I recalled from the debut, this is symphonic gothic metal. This is carried into ‘La Casa Sotto La Tredicesima’ which evolves to sound more operatic. The pace drops a little for the subdued, melancholic ballad ‘Mama’, which sees Yana singing over a grand piano to great effect. This contrasts nicely with ‘The Grace of Vicious Horror’ but clocking in at well over ten minutes, this track began to drag and I found my mind wandering.
There is another change in style during ‘Bella Tristezza Celeste’ which is another stripped back track showing Yana’s vocals in their best light and it has to be said, she sounds very powerful when showcasing them in this way. ‘Le Passe’ reverts back to the symphonic gothic metal style and I begin to find the vocals a little shrill, perhaps even grating which continues during ‘The Curse’. The closing track ‘Winter Nightfall’ once more sees Yana and a grand piano and I feel this stripped back style is where Yana’s vocals sound at their best.
If I am honest, I found this album a little frustrating. There is clearly a huge amount of talent here, but things don’t seem to click properly on many of the tracks, which is only exacerbated by their length. As a result, the album loses focus and becomes rambling. Having said that, the band really shine on the stripped back tracks where Yana’s vocals sound really powerful. I will keep an eye out for the next release as there is a lot of potential here which may well be realised in time.
(6/10 Andy Pountney)
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