Жизнеотрицанью жизневероломство

So far in Branikald's career, the band has already hit their peak with their fourth album "Kveldulv", as well as another we'll get to in a bit. In 1998, the group would release yet another album titled "Жизнеотрицанью жизневероломство", though unlike most of their other albums, there hasn't been a huge fanbase for it. In fact, until now, there hasn't been any reviews for it on MA. But while it might not be special when compared to the large magnitude of the previous record, I still think it's fine for what it is.

Right from the first track "Духа уста опаляя", we hear a different approach taken with the sound. Rather than the emphasis on anger and fury in Kveldulv, this one includes a more melodic sound within the guitar riffs, but still retaining much of that raw sound. The drumming, on the other hand, still retains much of its ferocious beating, as the blastbeats add in more aggression within the atmosphere. It's a great start, but like many other Branikald albums, it only makes way for the later tracks taking on a darker tone in their composition. Tracks "Пылая, озлобляя, болью леденя" and "Жать врагу" in particular do work well with this dark style the best, with the latter in particular adding in a bit more melody in its raging atmosphere. And while my copy of the album doesn't include "Horrid Storm", I'm still mentioning it anyway since it takes on an even more rawer approach in vain of the early demos. While some of the tracks are a bit standard in terms of the Branikald style, the highlights I've mentioned are still amazing.

And of course, we gotta talk about Kaldrad's vocals. Same style of shrieking, same vocal delivery, and yet, it still remains fresh and breathtaking when paired up with these instrumentals. This is especially the case in the title track "Жизнеотрицанью жизневероломство", which is a bit disorganized at first, but when the atmospheric riffs kick in, Kaldrad's brings in that sorrow element that further enforces the emotional tone of the riffs, and only makes the cold landscape even more harsh as it is. While some have argued that Kaldrad's vocals kind of stagnate here, I think it's still refreshing.

It's kind of a shame that this album isn't talked about a lot when compared to their other works. While it's far from perfect, the strengths do mostly push out its weaknesses, especially with the guitars and vocals. It's a bit harder to find due to its obscurity, but if you do happen to stumble upon it, I highly recommend you give it a spin, as you might be impressed by what you hear.