ZGARD - Place of Power
Schwarzdorn Production
Like I always say, black metal music can be harsh as well as brutal but it can also be beautiful. That pretty much says it all about this latest release by Ukraine's ZGARD. From the info I got this has been a one man band for a while with some session players, on drums, added on. The one man here is Yaromisl. As well as being the vocalist and composer he's also responsible for the guitars, bass, some drumming, keyboards, flutes and Jews Harp.
ZGARD have been around for a while to say the least. The discography starts out in 2012. Of that Yaromisl has come out with six full length releases prior to this one. Unfortunately this is my introduction to his band but I'm liking this one. I'd say musically this release carries that Eastern European black metal rawness with the added symphonic elements. It's not far off from what some of his contemporaries have been pushing of late.
On Place of Power has a great melodic feel to a good portion of it's cuts. The harshness comes from the vocals which are more like cries of anguish from the wilderness. Sound wise the tempos move from violent to grandiose movements. I'd say there is more than a little latter day BATHORY influence going on with a touch of GRAVELAND. All in all a great listening experience.
LISTEN HERE:
https://schwarzdornproduction.bandcamp.com/album/place-of-power-sd56cd
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