Darzamat
Transkarpatia

It is not uncommon in the metal scene to find bands that have everything it takes to make it big and yet remain relatively unknown, despite many years of activity. So, let me introduce you to Darzamat, Polish, authors of five albums born from a symphonic black metal enriched with death parts and ambient-flavored interludes. Six protagonists lead this horror film in music, with two always in the spotlight, the two singers Flauros and Nera. But don’t think of melancholic duets like Theatre Of Tragedy.

Here, we deal with pure malevolence; the two voices are the most vile and feverish presence that can invade the vermillion rivers of metal blood. Flauros expresses himself with a thin and slithering but at the same time venomous scream, very similar to the great Flegias, while Nera is more versatile, possessing a voice anything but angelic, capable of a wailing and heart-wrenching style, sensual when needed, with an Arabesque and mysterious touch, reminding me at times of a (VERY) angry Cristina Scabbia, and at others, the less extreme screams of Cadaveria.

The album is a concept dealing with topics such as vampirism, magic, necromancy, paganism, the time of witches' burnings, and hatred towards the church, all always set in the Carpathian region. After the usual symphonic intro, the first killer track of the album, "Vampiric Prose", kicks in, which, after one of the fiercest beginnings dominated by Flauros, gives way to an airy and catchy chorus ridden by Nera's dark voice, with a sanguine and at times libertine text. The killer piece no. 2, "Hallucinations", a guitars/drums wall with a claustrophobic rhythm and surrounded by violin breaks leaves us breathless, while atmospheric parts of sheer feminine malice invite us to enter the heart of the forest, where the trees come to life, jest of the mind. "The Burning Times" celebrates, between black fury and dramatic chorus, the cruelties suffered by the victims of the inquisition, a topic that is further developed in the subsequent interlude "Letter From Hell", where Nera recites between heart-rending screams a letter, a kind of testament recounting the atrocities and falsehoods uttered at the trials. "Blackward" is an assault of chilling black epicness adorned with solos and death-metal fragments, very compelling.

"Recurring Yell" with its cadenced gothic symphonies reveals itself in all its dark splendor, almost Dimmu Borgir-like if it weren’t for the gloomy vocalizations of the female singer. "Labyrinth Of Anxiety" is another track with a guitar/drum duo nothing short of devastating; Nera concludes by adorning the finale with an almost-growl. Special note for "Virus", a calm and suffering semi-ballad sung by a solo female voice introduced by piano notes and then ripped apart by doom guitars, a few sitar notes close the piece. Truly haunting. The next two tracks are pleasant but refer to what has already been heard; however, I must mention "Tribute To...", a sort of outro over 5 minutes long, where the singer recites the epitaph to those innocents the church sent to the stake, on an industrial-ambient background.

In short, the CD is worth it, I recommend buying it because it certainly does not pale next to the masters of the genre; indeed, it breathes new life into what has for some time smelled stale. The artwork is interesting and fascinating right from the cover, which looks like the cover of an ancient book. I close with the last phrase proclaimed by the noble and dark singer: "Better an end in horror than horror without end."

And here, the horror truly is endless...