Transylvanian Dreams

A black metal release with six songs in 42 minutes and a stereotype black and white cover. Am I mistaken or do I see a blaze in the Northern sky? No doubt, the early black metal works of Darkthrone have had a deep impact on the scene in general and on these Hungarians in particular. Their compositional approach is painfully close to that of the Norwegian ruffians at the time of publication of "Transilvanian Hunger". The production is reduced to the essentials. It lacks depth while also paying tribute to the aforementioned full-length. As an interim summary, it can be noted that you do not need to read this review any longer if you are exclusively looking for innovative and independent bands. He who is more tolerant might find a new jewel for his collection.

The band pursues a clear line. Merciless, ugly high speed black metal is the only thing that counts. Dreamful melodies, as indicated in the album´s title, do not play a role. And it goes without saying that the same applies to atmospheric keyboard intermezzos, peaceful acoustic guitars and any other kind of superfluous knickknacks. The more or less thin guitars raise an icecold storm in order to destroy as much as they can. Sometimes it seems that the drummer has to struggle seriously to keep up with the unbelievable pace. The lead vocalist screams, nags and roars like there´s no tomorrow. All participants have put their heart and soul into the making of this record.

Now that you know the basic direction of Tymah, we have to take a look at the implementation of their creative ideas. The title track marks the climax. It is a vibrant and energizing track that shows how this kind of metal can work. All sections of the song match together perfectly and the long drawn-out screams of vocalist Dim increase the intensity of this black metal sledgehammer. Crude melodies fight with the devastating high speed drums, but it is impossible to pick a clear winner. Or, in other words, the only winner is the extremely pleased listener, because this song constitutes a prime example for a masterpiece of raw black metal.

Without being bad, the remaining five pieces do not reach the same level as the title track. Single parts know to convince and the Hungarians avoid gross errors. The songs create a big black hole without making any compromise. One can admire this attitude, but one can also argue that their stubbornness prevented a better result, because it is not easy to get access to this black hole. Less Darkthrone and more individuality would have been helpful. But, of course, the here presented full-length was their debut and it is not forbidden to show your roots and your influences at this early stage. Ultimately, this means that "Transylvanian Dreams" is doubtlessly a solid underground album with a clear message. Its lack of originality should not be overestimated.