Demo

The debut release from this spanking new Czech outfit behaves like a product of the Icelandic school without the excessive dissonance. Combining elements of mid-paced death metal with melodic black metal lends it a doomy quality within a broadly black metal framework similar to Beithioch. By working techniques typical to black metal through meaty guitar tones, death metal vocal styles, and chasmic atmospheres they are able to straddle these genres without detracting from an otherwise unified work.

The mix however, may not be entirely up the task of capturing the cavernous atmospheres that Oci Vlka are clearly attempting to invoke. The drums are strong both in terms of the performance and sound quality, but they are somewhat buried beneath the guitars. The cymbals are lost in the fray of distortion, as we are battered from all sides by the wall of riffs that make up the bulk of this demo. Whilst not a complete detriment – the guitars after all are where the action is – it means this release lacks some of the variation and tension of the more atmospheric entries in this style.

With that in mind, this is a full-on half an hour of overbearing riffs, pounding double bass, and harsh death/doom stylings. There is enough clarity to follow the through-line of the riffs as they pound away at their craft, but the underlying static to the mix means that the slower brooding passages lose some of their flare. But ultimately, this is a minor niggle when one considers the fact that this is primarily riff-driven metal. Any atmospheres that supervene on this framework are an incidental bonus.

Oci Vlka do a good job of contrasting chaos with permanence, of drawing together the harsh death metal elements of their sound into something more meditative and repetitive by the end of the demo. That being said it’s not wildly outside the bounds of anything we have not heard from Carpe Noctem, Beithioch, or Svartidaudi. Oci Vlka go more for the fatter end of this style, emphasising the atmospheric death/doom elements to their sound with an underlying black metal philosophy no doubt. But as things stand they are yet to define their own character and contribution to a style that has been gaining a lot of traction in recent years.

Originally published at Hate Meditations