Morowe - Piekło.Labirynty.Diabły

Morowe are a very unique band from Poland that combine black metal with post-shoegaze, black rock n' roll, and ambient for a very extreme experience. Their recent debut album features plenty of diverse tracks that are all catchy and repulsive at the same time, which creates a twisted effect on the listener that really makes them intrigued. The album begins with the funeral keyboard track "Wstep," which is only one of the many directions that Morowe goes in with their music. It sounds very out of tune and faded, but a wild step for the band. "Komenda" is more along the lines of how Morowe's usual music is, using crashing distortion and lengthy chords that are melodic and repetitive, but also enjoyable while laced with drum beats. The vocals range from a death/ black metal snarl and also some wailing clean vocals and spoken word passages. It is schizophrenic at times and all over the place, but this is part of Morowe's magic in what makes them so intriguing. In between the raging vocals and momentary sole guitar moments that eventually fall in step with the drums for some great melodies, listeners will be saying "What the hell is this? Let me hear more!"

"Czas" is more straightforward black metal with more blast beats and a faster pace, but every once in a while there is a bit of guitar solo melody. Sadly, the bass is inaudible, as it is on most tracks, but there's a few samples and programming moments for a bit of industrial effects. Don't expect to hear a lot of heavy moments like that on the album; most of the work is guitar focused, especially on the solo during this track with is very slow, moody, and depressing. Once again it is another side of Morowe that won't be seen very often. "Gleboko" features one of the more 'wacky' tracks with a bit more industrial influence with lots of bleeps and blips along with some excellent rhythms from the guitar that churn and spawn some of the best nightmares Morowe has conjured so far with the hellish vocals to back everything up. "Zakończenie" is a bit of a lengthy instrumental that features lots of tremolo picking and some reverp warble on the solos, but once again makes a stand-out appearance for the faded, moaning choral vocals in the background amongst the raging guitars and drums.

Overall, this is one of those crazy albums that have to be heard. The band alone is intriguing enough since they have no website or MySpace, and if one is lucky enough they'll find a few samplings or two on YouTube. The only way to really experience Morowe however is to sift through their debut, which is a fine piece of art considering these guys have no known demos or EPs to date so far. It is like they just picked up their instruments and naturally created this album. Certainly worth checking out for fans of Alcest, Black Hole Generator, Aborym, and also later Dodheismgard.

  1. Wstep
  2. Komenda
  3. Tylko Piekło, Labirynty i Diabły
  4. Czas Trwanie Zatrzymał
  5. Jego Oblicza
  6. Głęboko Pod Ziemię
  7. Wężowa Korona
  8. Zakończenie

Witching Hour Productions
Reviewer: Colin McNamara
Nov 12, 2010

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