Old Mystic Lore

I have the feeling that Croatia is still a bit under-represented when it comes to metal music. That being said it is a pleasure to discover a great album from that region so it was a nice surprise when I found out about Zimogroz, a black metal combo from the beautiful city Dubrovnik. Since GoT the hype for this place has exploded, but fans of everything medieval like myself might have already been aware of Dubrovnik and its aesthetics before. Zimogroz mentioned that their music has also somehow been influenced by living in such a great area, and with that in mind I can see where they are coming from with this statement while listening to their debut full length “Old Mystic Lore”.

It could be argued that many bands of the black metal scene are also just repeating the same stuff over again, but there’s still enough to squeeze out great music of it if the style’s put into the right hands. We’re given plenty of the flavors of what makes the style interesting to begin with as Zimogorz show a clear understanding of how to bring it all together wonderfully such that it fits together nicely, such that they all work off each other brilliantly. While this album has to clearly be filed under “black metal” the lads do not shy away from implementing elements from other sub-genres as well, making this one a fresh and exciting listen.

Melodic guitar harmonies are omnipresent and carry each individual track, lending the music a quite epic touch most of the time. While the playing can become sophisticated in places, the band mainly focused on creating a dense atmosphere, ranging from being melancholic and dreamy to sinister and slightly depressing. Deeply atmospheric, the songs use a black metal base to craft highly emotive music, weaving esoteric moods and blackened tapestries with ease. This is music that’s richly textured with nuance and subtlety, even when at its most blisteringly aggressive.

The drumming is tight and precise, without being pushed too much into the foreground. The instrumentation is flawless, without the musicians ever losing themselves in redundant wankery. The songs are written in a very stringent way, often being longer than your average black metal tune. The build-up of the single tracks has been carefully crafted, with some nice little interludes and other elements being used as linkages between the different parts. Most of the time the speed is not too hefty, with Zimogroz concentrating more on the flow of the whole album and how the single songs form one coherent piece of music in the context of the entire record.

The vocals have a bit of a different tone to most of their peers, and after listening to “Old Mystic Lore” a bit more in detail I really came to appreciate the fierce yet clear delivery. The production is fantastic, very clear and powerful. The physical version is published by Geenger Records, a label I have never heard of before, but which seems to be specialized in putting out mainly stuff from Croatian artists. It’s great to see that they are offering such a platform to a black metal band, and the end product is absolutely professional. For me personally this album is a great surprise and statement of intent by this young band, and one of my personal highlights of the year within this sub-genre.