Genre: Black Metal
Label: Those Opposed Records
Line Up: N/A
The latest effort by the Japanese trio, active since 1996, is this EP released in 2014 and composed of four tracks for just over a quarter of an hour of music; a singular choice that of the band that, apart from the full-length "Gloria Satanae" of 2007, has always sipped its productions by building its discography with a large string of demos, EPs, compilations, live albums and splits. The singer of Anguis Dei is in the line-up and he gives character to the songs of Arkha Sva, ranging with ease from a deep growl to acid screaming parts, from epic clean vocals to falsetto and recited parts, he seems to have taken a cue from most famous singers of the international Black Metal's scene: in the same song, it is like listening to a medley between Dani Filh, Attila Csihar and other "big boys" of the genre. After the short intro "Donusdogama I", we find the first song "Mekaluzo Kuhes Saitan", slow at first, with a guitar arpeggio and reverberated sound, the song then takes on a more sustained speed supported by typical Black Metal's drumming, to then slow down again in constant ups and downs enriched by pleasant bass phrases that are rather in evidence. Also in the following "Lonud Merk Ka'Osskh", speeds alternate with melancholic riffs with a Finnish touch and more raw arpeggios, it is the singing, omnipresent and varied, that captures the scene ... perhaps excessive. The last song is "Donusdogama II", an outro that adds nothing to what we heard previously, but that simply closes the short release. A good production even if at first listening, it may seem rough, however, it offers space for all the instruments in a balanced way, the ideas proposed in the two songs, although quite classic, are good ... we'll see if in the future the band will know to amaze with a greater personality, without relying solely on extravagant singing!
Andrea B.
