Black Metal in itself is an acquired taste, and even more so its subgenre Raw Black Metal, which emphasizes the use of lo-fi recording to give it its unique, "raw" sound. Among the numerous underground artists that play Raw Black Metal, the Belarusian one-man band PA VESH EN is among the elite. Hailing from the Grodno region specifically, PA VESH EN has actively compiled a series of EPs, demos, and full-length albums since 2017, showcasing his skill in Raw Black Metal. Recently on November 6th, he released the compilation album "Catacombs," which comes five years since his first compilation album and only about six months since his fourth full-length album "Martyrs." The 10 tracks that PA VESH EN included on "Catacombs" come from the demos of his early days--"Knife Ritual" and "Dead Womb"--as well as a few of his EPs and previous albums. In addition to being released digitally, the new compilation will be released as 150 copies of a limited edition 12-inch vinyl disc, so I will divide my review in two parts: Side A and Side B.
Side A of "Catacombs" starts with a 4-minute track titled "Call of the Dead," which was originally released on PA VESH EN's second album "Pyrefication." This song incorporates a Doom Metal sound with slow, heavy guitar riffs and slow, measured drum beats, while PA VESH EN includes his Black Metal shrieks in the background, muffled by the extreme lo-fi recording. There aren't any blast beats or double bass kicks on this opener, but that quickly changes on the next track "A Moonlight Hunger." This track shows PA VESH EN taking a more typical Black Metal pace by using constant blast beats and double bass patterns, as well as using the familiar tremolo picking method to create faster guitar riffs. He also changes his shrieking vocals to sound like haunting howls. "A Funeral Procession" from the artist's debut album "Church of Bones" continuously alternates between a fast pace and slower, mid-tempo pace, all the while creating a sense of Black Metal horror. "Chalice of Blood," which is from PA VESH EN's first demo "Knife Ritual," opens with a slow, heavy guitar riff and evokes the same Blackened Doom Metal pace from "Call of the Dead." Our Raw Black Metal hero then gives us another fast track called "Relentless Plague" by immediately blast beating on his drum set, but his guitar riffs on here sound a little too similar to the previous track. The final song on Side A of this record is called "Venom Seed," and it's my personal favorite from "Catacombs." The drumming and double bass kicking are very rhythmic throughout the song's 4-minute duration and, when coupled with the distorted tremolo picking and occasional blast beats, helps to create a true feeling of despair and dread.
Now we come to Side B of "Catacombs," consisting of the last 4 of PA VESH EN's 10 chosen tracks. For the first 3 1/2 of the song's approximately 5 minutes, the tempo is slow and laden with a Doom Metal atmosphere, before the rest of the song delivers a barrage of blast beats and finally crescendos into a cymbal smash to end the track. The following song "Entwined with Snakes" from PA VESH EN's 2019 EP "Cryptic Rites of Necromancy" is the longest of the entire compilation album, and while all of his Raw Black Metal is beautiful in a way, I dare say that this has a unique beauty to it because it sounds like the harsh music has a faint melody. "Grotesque Abomination" has the distorted tremolo picking and double bass patterns, but PA VESH EN uses fewer blast beats and more Thrash Metal-style skank beats to maintain the fast tempo. Very creative, if you want my honest opinion. To close off his most recent compilation of tracks, PA VESH EN chooses to use "Walks With the Dead" from his second early demo "Dead Womb." After opening with what sounds like wind howling, he seems to fuse the rhythmic drum beats and bass kicking from "Venom Seed" with the melodic guitar riffs of "Entwined With Snakes." This means that this Belarusian master chose the perfect song to bring "Catacombs" to an amazing close.
On "Catacombs," PA VESH EN uses a mixture of Black Metal songs and Blackened Doom Metal songs to create another compilation album which evokes intense vibes of horror, dread, and impending doom. While I wished he would have used a song from each of his most recent albums "Maniac Manifest" and "Martyrs," the songs he did use were too good to let my complaint spoil his work. After all, he could always do so on his next compilation. "Catacombs" is more than just a collection of songs from PA VESH EN's earlier years. It is a reminder that PA VESH EN is not just one of the most active Raw Black Metal artists around but also one of the most talented and elite. If you're interested in Black Metal with more raw production quality, then I highly suggest this artist. And if you want an idea of what his earlier material sounds like, give "Catacombs" some of your undivided attention.
Rating: 8.5/10
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