I adore the atmospheric black metal sub-genre, it captivates me with its soaring hauntingly driven melodies and Germany has long been a hotbed for this genre in my book, with a raft of quality acts emerging from there. Adding to that ever-expanding list is Bavarian act Hrast, whose name translates as Oak from Croatian on my research. Information is scarce to the point of not existing as to who inhabits the positions within this newly formed band but one thing is certain they write riveting music, peppered with subtle atmosphere and outright rancour precisely placed in the songs.
‘Echoes’ begins the release and listens like an extended intro piece carving a distraught desolate path towards the majesty of ‘These Woods Crush Omnipresence’. At nine minutes the song has that evolving nature, each passing moment layering on increasing emotion and passionate musicality as the raw hostile vocal emanations enhance the songs glacial ethos. At times soulful and often sorrowful the song channels its anguish through myriad riff breaks and teeming drama. Likewise, with ‘Panacea’ another epic composition with acoustic guitar that links nicely to the preceding track, with wind effects adding to the atmosphere without cliché. For some reason, and you may disagree, the vocals had me thinking about Opeth, that rich deep tone tempered by a harsh abrasive nuance I particularly liked on this release.
Spanning the double-digit duration mark is ‘The Winds Which May Haunt Thee’, a sprawling melancholic enveloping song where the sorrowfulness really magnifies and focuses your attention. As the guitar work weaves its filaments of despair, we get what feels like a Spanish guitar inflection, that works extremely well, something that Nargaroth dabbled with on their ‘Era Of Threnody’ album. It works brilliantly, adding yet more texture to this highly dramatic song and is followed by the bridging piece of ‘Nav’, with its doleful delivery.
‘By Footsteps In The Fallen Snow’ continues this bands colossal song writing prowess as percussive elements adorn the opening, accompanied by a deeper vocal tone that adds impact and dread to the mix. There is bleakness here too, created by the morose guitar riffs as the song utilises an increasing intensity throughout its duration. Massive and utterly compelling is ‘La Mort De L’hiver’ which I’m sure your can translate. Again, we get that fluidity as the song blends with the preceding track sublimely as the acoustic guitar piece possesses an innate gloom capturing a sombre yet soporific approach. As the song unfurls its emotion, we are taken down avenues of dramatic desolation, piano work melding with the black metal traits cohesively and with staggering results. The album closes with ‘Elysium’ and like the opener this one listens like an extended outro, haunting, morose and indelibly emotive, it finalises this debut superbly.
(8.5/10 Martin Harris)
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