Катарсис / Catharsis

I'm of the opinion that if you had to choose a single musician from the Ukrainian scene as the best the nation has produced in black metal, it would be Lutomysl. No other single musician from the Ukrainian scene has evidenced the sheer brilliance that Lutomysl has time and time again with each of the albums from his eponymous one-man project. 'Decadence,' of course, is highly revered for a reason: it's a classic of the Ukrainian black metal scene that's basically untouched by all but the best material Dub Buk or Lucifugum have released. More amazing than that, though, is that 'Catharsis,' the follow-up release to 'Decadence,' actually manages to be just as good as that release. It's a very natural sort of sequel, basically the same in tone and style as the last, but I can hardly complain when what you're copying over and over verges on genius every time.

For those not in the know, Lutomysl's style of black metal is simultaenously minimal and lush; the naturally threadbare feel of the one-man black metal project comes out, but in perhaps the best way possible on Lutomysl's music. With a racing undercurrent of ambient drum programming, Lutomysl's music surges forward with a uniquely Slavic sense of folk-driven melody that at once resembles and completely departs from the rest of the scene the project comes from. Take, for instance, one of the project's classic songs which open the release: 'Jet Black Metal Art.' Driven by an almost perpetual half-blast in the percussive section, Lutomysl winds through a series of traditional yet wholly unique tremolo riffs which in and of themselves carry the entire song. It's not at all unfair to say that Lutomysl's albums could likely be released as only guitar tracks and have much the same effect on the listener- in truth, the bass, drums, and vocals are simply additional cherries on top of the most immediately important element.

This isn't a problem, though, because Lutomysl's sheer ability to write incredible, stirring black metal riffs is essentially unparalleled in the Ukrainian scene. Strikingly simple in their construction, mostly using simple, textured patterns which stretch all the way back to the days of 'Transilvanian Hunger,' Lutomysl combines the sort of traditional Slavic black metal melodies one might hear on 'Misyac Pomsty' with a sort of romantic richness that sounds like something more out of the French or Italian melodic black metal scenes. Perhaps they could be described as an extreme elaboration on the basic musical ideas put forth by bands like Branikald or Forest, but to say that would be overthinking it: Lutomysl simply has an essential grasp of the art form of the tremolo riff, and manages to time and time again create new permutations of relatively traditional, straightforward ideas that never cease to amaze.

Of course, the rest of the music works as an elegant counterpoint to the guitar melodies; the incredibly simple drum programming is absolutely an asset to the music. Almost wholly devoid of fills or any sort of frills or elaborations on the most basic rhythms, it simply provides a primal, pulsing drone to propel the riffs forward. Similarly, the bass is audible but doesn't intrude on the guitars, providing root note support to help fill out what's otherwise fairly thin production. Then there's the vocals, a wonderfully unhinged post-Vikernes shout/shriek that's as much a trademark of the project as the unbelievable riffs. Every one of these elements works together to create an experience almost unparalleled in black metal today. It's almost unbelievable that such simple elements can still be woven together to make music so endlessly gripping, but Lutomysl proves that, thousands of black metal records after the inception of the genre, it can be done.

Need I say more? Like the rest of Lutomysl's output, this is essential.