Arachne

Although I’ve been following the repertoire of the band under scrutiny here, more regularly than not, through the years I haven't been able to develop a very deep fondness for their music. They’ve been sticking to a far-reaching pleasing conglomerate of heavy, power, speed, thrash and post-thrash since their inception, but it seems like the finest fruit produced from this amalgam have already seen the light of day. The debut remains their best effort, their most aggressive thrashiest achievement, the next two slabs following the same path more or less, “HellWood” embracing the soaring speed metal canons for a pardonable, not overtly mitigated change of heart.

With “Krolestwo” the guys started borrowing more freely and readily form the numetal pool, the one that started getting filled in the 90’s, and was still at least half-full some ten years ago, still enchanting practitioners like our Polish friends here. They kept dipping their toes into it for another two bland efforts, before taking a lengthy 6-year break. Alas, this time wasn’t spent very wisely as the album reviewed here is quite comparable to its several predecessors, a not very convincing mixture of heavy, power, post-thrash and a bit of actual thrash. On the plus side we have the heavy soulful balladic title-track and the dramatic thrashy “Gollum”, those cuts placed at the beginning, slightly misleading the listener as later on the latter will have to wade through a mire of crowd-pleasing sing-alongers (“Figlarz Bugi”), groovy industrial draggers (“Kim”), and feelgood gothic rockers (“Sauruman”). The abrasive mechanical semi-ballad “Szata Na Bal” can pass for at least a semi-deal, and the energetic fast-pacer “O Worze” isn't a throwaway, either, but one can skip the closing “IZolc” with no remorse whatsoever, this doomy operatic clumser seldom amounting to something genuinely ear-catching.

The vocals of Pawel Grzegorczyk aka Drak are surely an asset, his steady clean mid-ranged antics never excessively emotional but always fitting, including on the quiet moments, which here are pretty well covered, including on the atmospheric sleeper “Casus Belli”. The band can hardly be proud of this outing, a routine not very exciting fare that revises the long since epitomized by them tools of the trade, a safe bet for those who have fallen for their stylistic blends. I have to admit that there might be something for everyone inside each of these albums, but these will be isolated bits which may even annoy some due to their flippant whimsical presence.

But that’s alright, I guess, cause the hunters won't return empty-handed from their last so far trip… the game won't be big, and won't be the most delicious one in the world, but should suffice… to keep the rifles operational and the hopes for something of grander safari-sque proportions to be served the next time around.