R E V I E W
Shamanic Visions
Genre: Black Metal
Label: Satanath Records/The End Of Time Records
Country: Germany/Russia
Line Up:
Atha - vocals / khomus
Unhold - guitars / bass / drum programming
A joint release by Satanath Records and The End Of Time Records: here is "Shamanic Visions", the new mini-album from the German-Russian Shamanic Black Metal band Khara Ojuun.
"Shamanic Visions" blends Black Metal, abstract shamanic chanting, and the "khomus" (a traditional folk instrument). The album tells stories in the Sakha language about harsh Siberian winters, nature, spirits, and parallel worlds. The freezing atmosphere of the North, ritualistic rhythms, distorted guitars, and echoes of ancient spirits merge into a soundscape inspired by the isolation and traditional spirituality of the North.
It begins with "Khomus," a ritualistic introduction that soon gives way to "Үлүйүү" (Burning Cold). The latter opens with the sound of the "khomus" before developing into a driving, aggressive track. The sound is decidedly raw, and the riffs maintain a steady, measured pace; the song feels like true ritual music, driven by desperate vocals.
The third track, "Буурҕа" (Snowstorm), also features heavy use of the khomus. The drum programming is steady but suffers somewhat in the mix. The vocals also sit very high in the mix, perhaps a deliberate stylistic choice, but this imbalance makes listening a bit difficult, preventing one from fully appreciating the composition. In this track specifically, the vocals approach the style of overtone singing techniques.
A clear example of this vocal style can be found at the beginning of the fourth track, "Ойуун"(Shaman). The song is slow and ritualistic, punctuated by brief, sudden bursts of speed. Finally, the album concludes with the fifth and final track, "Ый суола" (Road to the Moon), which brings everything full circle in a cohesive manner: the song mirrors the structure of the rest of the record, maintaining a strongly ritualistic feel and the constant presence of the khomus. The choice of the closing notes is excellent, steering the band toward a more typical Black Metal style with a highly effective final result. Ultimately, this is a work where the band chose to focus on representing and evoking shamanic ritual music rather than adhering to a strictly, exclusively Black Metal sound.
S.A.M.A.
