A debut full-length album of Death-Black Metal band ODEM from Saint-Petersburg, formed in 2008.
In some tracks it seams a kind of saturated BM. It's pretty diverse, not devoid of melody. Growling vocals everywhere, has powerful features. Most of all I was impressed by those fragments, that came to be teeth-grinding fast. These Black Metal songs, having mostly taken me not so much with the heaviness, as with that it's universally monolithic. But I don't want to say, that something's missing with the sound's severity. In tougher tracks a mixture of Death and Black take place. They are usually midtempo. Although high-speed moments do not disappear so far. And also there is a lot of things: periodic melodies, solos, interesting diverse, atmospheric constituents, sometimes uneven rhythm, whispered vocals, great intros. The Blackness, oppressive, destructive pain, essence of infernal unpredictability - that is felt in the message of ODEM. Also, the last track beautifully concludes the whole "canvas" - a cover "Blood War III", originally performed by ANTAEUS.
Well, as a starting release it seems more than worthy. I wish the band further success.
Horned
Translation: KH