Wyrd
Rota

A solitary type, typically belonging to the black metal genre inaugurated by Burzum. One of the many, that in the end, is listened to by the usual crowd.

Wyrd is a one man band (assisted by drummer JL Nokturnal) formed by Tomi Kalliola (aka Nargath), who insists on organizing project after project, most of which are one man bands, almost as if he wants to compete against himself, if you think of him as someone whose job is playing music. But then visiting his website, you find out that he self-distributes by pricing his works, which must be requested directly from him, at 5-7 euros. He probably won't be the best guitarist, he may stray occasionally while trying out his vocals Falkenbach-style, he might often seem repetitive and boring in his compositions... However, I like his style, which has managed to get much closer to folk than to depressive... Essentially, I consider it the best project inspired by Burzum. Indeed the black matrix, with its buzzing distortions, obstinate drumming and somewhat carpet-like keyboards, always dominates.

The work in question is somewhat "strange." In fact, Rota is an album that's solely instrumental. It begins with the repetitive Noitakansa, which is a progression of extremely catchy motifs played in various ways. It indeed moves from pianos to guitars, to instrument fusions, overlaps, slowdowns, outbursts, and highly evocative passages. The whole piece, don’t be frightened, lasts almost 15 minutes. There's no danger, though, because you'll quickly realize whether it's for you or not. It’s all a matter of taste, there's very little technically to say in the end. It's followed by the short (4 minutes) "Götterdämmerung", which is a very impure cross between viking and black always maintained by a base melody. The progression is also beautiful here, making the listening experience less monotonous. "Henkien yossa" is introduced by a sweet continuing arpeggio, which finds no peace until it transitions into the distorted chorus that seems to belong to another song, then everything is repeated in a succession of reflective and instinctive. Space for "Hiisi", typically black but making use of fast scales almost on the verge of being progressive, I would dare to say. Perhaps just to remind us that Nargath could do better if he only wanted to...

The title of the album is entrusted to track number 5, "Rota" indeed, Full of emotions and color. Personally, I have experienced with my eyes closed the materialization of images of untouched places and completely immersed in the most savage nature. And it seems that the changing of the seasons suddenly alters the atmospheres and colors from light hues, to gray, to snowy white, to stormy nights, to days dominated by icy and sharp winds... The work concludes (yes, only 6 tracks) with "Loitsi", also predominantly black. The verse-chorus, verse-chorus, modified verse structure repeats. In the end, it's a bit of a flaw for the whole album, which can be boring due to its insistence on motifs. But it can also be pleasant to be carried away by the monotony of a landscape dominated by peace. There isn't great technique in using the instruments and I don't believe Nargath has great guitar skills as much as emotional intelligence. However, what surprised me, and I'm still trying to understand, is how an album with clear black shades like this one doesn’t transmit the typical sense of discomfort, misanthropy, depression, etc. that all other followers of Burzum strive to exalt.

But most likely it is precisely this that I liked about Rota.