Kozak Metal
Independent Release
Release date – Soon
Review By Smudge Smith
Well, this is my first exposure of Kozak Metal which is a heady mix of blackened death metal and folk. It is the brainchild of Ukrainian underground metal ‘legend’ Anatoliy Blyashuk and is the first instalment of a series of albums dedicated to warriors of light who defended not only geographical borders but humanity’s right to life, dignity and freedom. Niiiice.
When I first read the press release for this, I was expecting something a whole lot different. What I didn’t expect was to enjoy this as much as I do. If you can imagine a mighty riffing death metal machine with a folk fiddle that provides riffs and fills like a classic metal guitarist, then you are somewhere near.
Opener ‘Bureviy’ (Storm) goes for the throat from the off with a big, nasty riff and both death and black metal vocals but it’s the melodies played by the fiddle that take it to the next level. You can jig and headbang simultaneously. ‘Svyatosha’ (Holy Man) is faster and just as much fun then ‘Tarasiy’ gets a bit darker and heavier featuring some thrash fiddle! ‘Nepyypyvo’ (Doesn’t Drink) What? Continues the thrashing but has some horns and a wonderfully powerful female voice towards the end. ‘Apollon’ is a beautiful mournful ballad to start before it swings into another thrasher then ‘Cobra’ speeds things up further then ‘Kishka’ (Intestine) brings a massive riff and some more horns. Crikey this is huge and it rocks like a bastard! Superb! ‘Nord’ (North) allows traditional Ukrainian instruments to fight it out with the guitars and drums then ‘Molot’ (Hammer) brings another headbanger. The final three numbers ‘Khimik’ (Chemist), ‘Stas’ and ‘Chaplains’ all follow the same course.
Mr Blyashuk certainly knows his onions. This is awesome. The metal is the heaviest, fastest and sharpest and the traditional instrumentation just enhances the whole vibe much like The Hu. Can’t wait for the next instalment and hopefully a live experience would be most welcome too. This is metal you can move too especially when you’ve had a few!
Track list
Bureviy
Svyatosha
Tarasiy
Nepyypyvo
Apollon
Cobra
Kishka
Nord
Molot
Khimik
Stas
Chaplains
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