Released by Metal Blade Records
Release date: February 14th, 2020
Genre: Black Metal, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal
Lineup:
Studio
S. – Vocals
XCIII – Guitars
M.R. – Guitars
DQ – Drums
Live
Destroyer – guitars/vocals
Wyrd – bass/backing vocals
XCIII – guitars/backing vocals
M.R. – guitars
DQ – drums
Tracklist:
1. Suffering Made Bliss
2. With Madman’s Faith
3. Transmutation of Sins
4. Kro?lestwo Niebieskie
5. What Christ Has Kept Apart
6. The Great Seducer
7. Moonchild
The Polish extreme metal scene has been giving birth to dozens of high-quality bands with a blackened aura over the last decades. These groups have managed to create a distinctive sound, where there is a continuous search for evolution and major listenability, although they have been keeping their musical identity through their musical career. One of those representatives is the veterans Blaze Of Perdition, a band that has maintained their blackened outfit, even though their style has been enriched with a wide range of musical elements. The quartet from Lublin, after surviving through tragic adversities and making some lineup changes, has created seven new tracks that compose their fifth studio release entitled “The Harrowing Of Hearts” and labeled Metal Blade Records. Following the steps of its predecessor “Conscious Darkness”, the new record has expanded the horizons of the group over the boundaries of classic black metal. Blaze Of Perdition has taken their next step to the course of musical maturity by adding more melodies to their compositions and consequently providing them major listenability and accessibility to a wider audience.
The Harrowing of Hearts proves that the polish band has taken a new gothic rock approach without changing their nature. Songs like ‘Suffering Made Bliss’ and ‘The Great Seducer’ show that the ferocity of the black metal spirit is still alive, even though the melodies are more friendly for the listener. This new tonality, which is complementary to the group’s already defined musical identity, is more evident to tracks like ‘With Madman’s Faith’ and ‘Transmutation of Sins’. Those tunes give a more melodic atmosphere and despite the long duration of the songs, these new elements provide major audibility to the record. The compositions also show a major fluidity and continuity. Moreover, there is an epic aspect present in the songs ‘Królestwo Niebieskie’ and ‘What Christ Has Kept Apart’ which gives a grandiose outfit to the album.
Fields of the Nephilim’s ‘Moonchild’ cover, which closes the album, is the pure expression of the band’s new artistic position. The new record represents the evolution of the ideas expressed with the two previous studio efforts of the band, but now they are contained in a more friendly music package. As far as the main topic of the lyrics is concerned, it all revolves around Christ’s descent into hell. The concept of the heart is used as a metaphoric expression of hell, which is defined as the fountain of any forbidden desire.
The new release of Blaze Of Perdition proves that the profile of the band has been evolving through the years of their career. This continuous modification in music style, even though the main aspect of the band revolves around their back metal spirit, shows that the Polish four-piece has chosen a different path with “The Harrowing Of Hearts”. The expression of their gothic rock influences could help them reach a major number of listeners, but opinions could also differ in their decision to follow this direction. This is not the first time that a black metal band takes those kinds of risks in their musical career. It’s the natural attempt of the group to look forward by following the path of evolution. All those elements are bound well and the final result is a solid and interesting record. Despite the lack of originality on their ideas, these veterans from Poland have made a very appreciated effort to go on a risky adventure, instead of staying in a constant path.
Ratings: 7/10
Written by: Katerina Paisoglou
My Global Mind – Staff Writer
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