Perun do vas!!!

Slovakia has become one of my preferred places to look for new music over the past few years. While the scene does not seem to see as much hype as other great ones (France, Island, Québec, Ukraine to name just a few) the amount of fantastic stuff having been put out is incredible. Of course there are a lot of connections between different outfits so I stumbled upon Ancestral Volkhves more or less by accident. They have been formed in 2001 and have only released two full lengths in 2004 and 2008 before having put activities on hold. The more recent album has been titled “Perun do vas!!!”, and while I agree that there is not anything particularly new or innovative to be found here this is a very solid slab of hard hitting black metal goodness.

The dynamic of the album can be addicting at its best, with crushing and subtly melodic on one side and depressing and ecstatic on the other. The constant interaction between the driving and chugging main chords and the often crazy lead guitar is breathtaking and will satisfy each fan of the genre. The melodies are often weird and haunting, but sometimes also have a more relaxed and slightly melancholic nature. The folkish touch makes sure that the material always carries a catchy undertone beneath the heavy wall of crushing instrumentation.

The drumming is tight and precise without being pushed too much into the foreground. Some of the tracks and passages are kept in mid-tempo, while others are hitting with no mercy and relentless speed. The verses and refrains are often memorable as are some of the hooks, and Ancestral Volkhves have a few surprises up their sleeves, like rhythm changes or more laid-back and ambient sections. The vocals are absolutely fierce, ranging from the typical snarling attack to a more growly kind of style. There are also female vocals done by Masha Scream from the quite prominent outfit Arkona (signed to Napalm Records), adding another layer to the overall picture.

The riffs are played with a lot of passion, often being re-used with small variations. This leads to the effect that some of the tracks sound pretty similar to one another, but consecutive listens will help to clearly distinguish the respective trademark harmonies of each one. At times there is a certain dissonant vibe inherent in the music, but ultimately the epic hooks are dominating, with the combination of chaos and order, darkness and light creating a dense yet captivating atmosphere.

The album is rounded off by a more or less flawless production. Raw and gritty, but clear and transparent at the same time. Fans of pure black metal with some folkish elements are going to love the sound here. Something similar can be said about the cover, which perfectly matches the darkness of the music. In the end “Perun do vas!!!” comes with an easy recommendation, as long as you know what to expect. It’s a shame the band might have called it quits forever.

Ancestral Volkhves are one of those bands that just exists. Not much serves to really separate them from the world of Slavic folk metal, Slovakian black metal, or black metal globally. The folk metal aspect of Perun Do Vas!!! doesn't become prominent on much of the album, only rearing it's head at select moments. Instead, they rely on the same tricks that thousands of other black metal acts have used since the beginning of the genre. Sure the music is all right, and nothing is really bad, but is there anything good? Yes there is, but it comes in small doses. This usually happens when they stray from the mold every now and again, but this is a rare occurrence, with the music on here having little personality or identity of its own.

Perun Do Vas!!! is rather typical black metal with rare interjections of Slavic folk riffs and occasional soaring clean vocals from, of all people, Masha Arkhipova of Russian folk metal megastars Arkona. Her presence on this album is the most interesting thing about this record. She only appears in a few songs, but when she does, everything picks up in strength and pushes harder, as if to try and keep up with her rapturous singing. She makes part of this album, and without her, Ancestral Volkhves are as dry as ever. Most of the guitar pieces are regular tremolos that would do nothing to bat an eyebrow. They also repeat so much, doing so little, just coasting on their own. Then you get to the more folksy riffs that are a breath of fresh air, at first, but quickly find themselves in the same situation as the tremolos, repeating until tiresome. When Masha isn't around, the rest of the vocals are just normal-sounding black metal shrieks, occasionally interspersed with some shouting. The production only makes things worse, as a lot of the songs just get muddled together under the static. Sometimes gritty production can give a band an edge, but on here it just blunts the music due to everything being loud and brickwalled, making it all seem one-dimensional. Some of the folkier riffs and Masha's singing really do bring the power and make this enjoyable for a change, but unfortunately this is very underutilized.

Perun Do Vas!!! does nothing for me. It just is sort of out there with a famous person singing with them, I think? Otherwise, there's not much going on here. The rare cool riff or invigorating vocal passage is so rare, and the other parts of the album are so typical that there's hardly anything worth paying attention to. Other people have done this, and done it better. Just because the music here is competent, doesn't make it good. You have to have a personality and this music lacks that. You think folkish black metal would have more charm to it...