Druga fala

When it comes to Polish black metal, you really can't go wrong, because you are rarely going to come across something so atrocious or polarizing that you'd never want to explore its wave of bands any further. Recently, I was recommended by my colleague to check out the band Zmarłym from Końskie, so I decided to give it a go because I know for sure that he wouldn't let me down. With that said, let's dive deep into the plague-infested world of their debut full-length album Druga Fala, released on November 21st, 2021 via Godz ov War Productions.

From the grey haze, some dangerous and eerie frequencies approach from the other side, expressed through the intense musical output of Zmarłym. The first track nicely sets up the pandemic mood od Druga Fala, however the second track "#zostańwgrobie" heads for a completely different direction by adding some electronic music elements combined with black metal, which would also make an appearance on the final track "Czy to już...?". What stands out about this album from the very get-go is that it has a very bleak atmosphere, almost like you are experiencing the horrific and depressing tone of movies about virus outbreaks like 28 Days Later or Dawn of the Dead, and this album as a whole, along with its dark tone, is heavily reflecting on the dark days of the pandemic when the album was released. As the album progresses, you pretty much feel like you are going through a complete downward spiral, because the music psychologically affects you by throwing you mentally back to that period you would never want to revisit, feeling like a bird in a cage due to the heavy restrictions while also being scared and confused about the whole virus situation that was all over the media. It's obvious that Zmarłym made the album the way it is in order to express the mental torment, public terror and the social agony through their music, and even the album title translates to "second wave", so you can pretty much tell where this is going.

Songwriting-wise, Druga Fala has some very solid ideas that are quite simple yet effective when it comes to the overall execution, but with a strong emphasis on the extreme emotional aspects in the music. It's evident that Zmarłym really had a clear idea about the direction they wanted to go with this album, because their approach contains both traditional ideas in contemporary black metal and also some unorthodox ideas like the electronic music elements which somehow managed to fit in their sound. I won't lie to you that this album really got my attention and I got more curious to know what it was trying to do, and I can safely say that this is a one of a kind album that is different from the rest, while stating a very strong message from start to finish. What I think they did successfully about the album itself is the fact that it musically captured the millions of screams trapped in the minds of people around the world, when we were going through a very difficult period in our day to day lives that would haunt us in later years. Such aggression and intensity really does define the essence of Druga Fala, so it's definitely the biggest highlight, alongside the creepy album cover by Maciej Kamuda, with the artwork that physically embodies that level of horror. As for the production, there isn't much to it that I can add, except for the fact that it sounds very well done thanks to the heavily overdriven tone of the guitars, harsh shrieking vocals and the thundering drum.

Overall, Druga Fala turned out to be a nice album worth checking out and I have to say that it really managed to remind me what it was like living in those bleak days of mental anguish and fear of tomorrow. The work of Zmarłym is probably an equivalent to the works of poets and writers that are borderline doomsayers and nihilists, and what they gave us is an unsettling album that was made with a purpose to make you feel uneasy while also reminding you about the fact that you were going through a dark age in modern form in the year of 2021. If you come across this album, be sure to check it out, because it is like I said, one of a kind.

Written for www.Metalbite.com

Time flies fast, I was supposed to review this album over two months ago, but I simply had no time to do this earlier. Or I was lazy. I did listen to Zmarłym a couple of times upon its arrival, mostly intrigued with that killer artwork on the front, but honestly, I didn't find the music much interesting. So, I was even happy to put the album in the freezer and let it wait for its turn. Now's my second approach to "Druga fala"... And I'm trying to get off this album as much positive as I could. Because I'm not able to like it in its entirety. Actually, I would split this album into two halves - one, which is pretty good and other, which I tolerate as much as goat cheese (blaaagghhh).

Splitting "Druga fala" into two halves is actually pretty simple, as the music has such a vast contrast between some songs or particular fragments that it has almost a shocking effect. Zmarłym is almost balancing on the edge of parody and very close to fall off that cliff into the useless bottom.

So, there's that quite typical Polish black metal part, where Zmarłym can bring a resemblance to bands like Furia, Mgła, Biesy, Odraza or whatever... These comparisons may be a bit loose, but all these bands surely fit into one category and you could just distinguish them from the abroad black metal easily. So, we have here songs like the opening track which are just solid and decent black metal. There's nothing insanely impressive about it, but it is fairly enjoyable, I think. Especially that there are some really ear catching and memorable harmonies. "Życie wieczne cz.1" is also worth to be mentioned here, I think it may be my favourite tune on the album, maybe because of its blasting, ferocious manner. "Spacer" does the same for me too. It also shows how well that album has been produced.

But I am afraid that Zmarłym has that tendency to show off with some completely out of place and unnecessary experiments. The way there are included here and how they diversify the music is just ruining everything for me and most importantly it irritates me completely. So, Zmarłym uses some electronic, trance - or whatever you call it - stuff in songs like "Zostanwgrobie". And I just cannot say anything positive about it. I don't like it. This stuff doesn't make the music any better and the effect is even worse with truly lame clean or spoken vocal parts. More of that stuff comes in "Życie wieczne cz.2" or the most irritating of them all, "Naszym i waszym" (more shit vocals there!). None of that stuff appeals to me, it is a garbage really. Hmm, I remember I did like some more experimental bands in the past, like Morowe, FDS or Thaw - but I have not listened to them in many years. I am not sure then if Zmarłym can be compared to them too. I will gladly listen to them all one day and see if my musical taste has changed so much in these years or it is just Zmarłym, who does something not so right.

All in all, it is hard to put a decisive opinion on "Druga fala". That black metal part of this album is fine, but nothing outstanding. The experimental side screams "caramba, make them stop"! Maybe I'm too much like Roger Murtaugh and "too old for this shit"? Really, this is how I feel, because all these new trends on the black metal scene annoy me more than ever before. Whatever. Some people will love "Druga fala", I am sure. It is controversial album, so there will be also many, who will hate it. I just don't care, to be honest.

Verdict: 60/100