Urheimat - volanie havranov

As I have become a big fan of Slovakian black metal I started to explore older releases as well. With many of the bands from that region being linked to each other I also stumbled upon Karpathia. They abandoned years ago after having released a bunch of splits and EPs and one full length titled “Urheimat”, which is going to be the topic of this review. The reason they picked up my interest is the fact that most of their stuff is bundled together and released as a compilation similar to what has been done with the Concubia Nocte material, so this is a nice chance to get an overview of their work. Speaking of Concubia Nocte there have been members of this band involved here as well and you are also going to find names like Aeon Winds, Krajiny Hmly and so on when checking out the “see also” section, so that alone might give a strong hint about what kind of music to expect.

This is pretty classic and heavily atmospheric black metal with a strong pagan vibe running through the music, a description which might fit to a majority of Slovak black metal records. The sound comes across pretty raw, although I would not classify it as what is understood within the sub-genre “raw black metal” if that makes any sense. There are quite a few slower, looming tracks with exquisitely layered keys that match the melody of the distorted guitar riffs rather well. The somehow thin yet urgent and harsh vocals are like an additional instrument in these tracks, and sound great in the spots they are added. Leaning as much on ambient tones and elongated drones produced by the keyboard as on grim riffs and, this is full of dark melodies and impassioned moments that will draw you in from the opening song and will transport you to the land of Karpathia. There are some subtlly psychedelic moments throughout this record, which give the music a dreamy, atmospheric sound that makes it every bit as hypnotic as it is vicious.

The synth harmonies sometimes sound a bit disjointed and quirky in some ways, but they do wonders for creating a deep an special atmosphere. Monochromatic black metal riffs are richly empowered by these weird and haunting melodies, although there certainly are moments of this that are more guitar-driven and straight-forward. Karpathia have done a fantastic job on this record of crafting up a unique and mesmerizing soundscape. The use of slower and mid-tempo passages in contrast to the strident keyboard samples on tracks like “Zabudnuté Hodnoty” allows the songs to develop by having some crafty and ethereal elements incorporated into the band’s raw core. Often the music shudders to a grinding halt, before launching into another fierce, crushing section that is characterized by expansive guitars, epic keyboards and intricate, precise drums. So if you particularly enjoy tracks that explore different sounds and tempos over mindless brutality and are trying to create a dense mood not unsimilar to certain dungeon synth albums you might find something to like here.

In theory “Urheimat” could be one of those releases that will appeal to a wide range of fans, from the most brutal and raw BM folks, to the fans of retro gaudy atmospherics and intricate tempo changes. That being said this album definitely needs consecutive spins to be fully appreciated. There are some sequences that seem to be more randomly put together and where the various harmonies seem to wander off into different directions. Like mentioned at the beginning the overall sound is on the rougher side of things, but the mix is transparent and offers enough clarity to identify each instrument without a problem. So in case you like pagan themed black metal you should hop on this chance and give this album respectively the upcoming compilation a listen.

I really wanted to like this album. It's got many trappings of something I would thoroughly enjoy: songs about "Forgotten Values", "Silver Land" and "New Beginning", and beautiful romantic-nationalist artwork. Hell, Karpathia even includes Svarthen, the vocal and bass genius behind the great Slovak pagan metal band Concubia Nocte. There are also lyrical contributions from Wolkogniv, another well-respected Slovak pagan artist.

As it turns out, these elements fail to combine into standout music. For one, Svarthen steps out of his real expertise and picks up the keyboard duties. He is clearly timid and afraid of overreaching his skill here. Only "In the Flame of Forgotten Truth" really lets the keys dominate in setting the mood. It's a foreboding sound, like trumpets in advance of an approaching military parade. "The Break of Dawn over Silver Lands" also does an admirable job showcasing the best potential of key/guitar balance, like in the glory days of 'Nocte. Other than that, the keys are underworked, preferring to just float around forgotten under the verse riffs now and then.

The guitars, played mostly by Nocturnal with some help from the already spread-thin singer/keyboardsman Svarthen, are mostly middling. They are acceptable pagan metal riffs, i.e. basically black metal picking style with some tinges of folky rhythm. But they are mostly at the level of mere outtakes from any number of better Slovak and Ukrainian pagan metal acts, from Ancestral Volkhves to Chista Krinitsya to the aforementioned Concubia Nocte. The wonderful crescendo of the opening song "Ancient Blood", and the duelling solos on "Carpathian Mist" are regrettably the exceptions, not the rule, on this record. Perhaps the only notable break in this pattern - and therefore, the most memorable song - is "The Break of Dawn". This is a hit! It switches from slow, ominous riffing (with grandiose keyboard support), to an old-school choppy yet tremulous black metal assault as the chorus - which also holds the most energetic vocal effort too!

There are apparently two guest vocalists here on Urheimat. One is Wolkogniv, who most often does the cover artwork for other Slovak bands, putting in the occasional guest vocal here and there. The other is Sturmwolf, who has done great work with Sirin and Hromovlad - two acts I very much enjoy! On this album, the three vocalists barely dare to step out of a non-varying high black metal rasp. And when they do, it's just for a poor, unwelcome attempt at Hammerheart-era Bathory clean chants.

There are a lot of things about Urheimat Volanie Havranov that could have made it a great album. And we do hear flashes of each, but they are too few and far between, lost among the preponderance of mediocre black-pagan metal. A good idea, it just didn't work out.