Sivyi Yar - The Night
'The Night' is Sivyi Yar's debut album, and though the band has released a sophomore effort since then, the band felt it was time to bring the album back into the fold due to its slightly alien nature. Originally, the album was entirely done in Russian so the language barrier was huge. Now, with title and lyric translations, it can be more widespread and accessible. Sivyi Yar take the approach of the extreme old school black metal route. The music is very choatic, distorted, and gritty to give that shivering feeling of evil. However, there are some complications with the music. For one, the vocals seem like they were almost completely left out, or if they are there, are shrouded like mist in a fog. The distortion just wipes everything out with the lo-fi production on tracks like "Witchcraft" and "The Night." Only when it comes down to the three versions of "Oredezh" can one actually hear all the instruments and vocals clearly. Why the band decided to repeat the same track three times is unknown, but at least every listen is something different. The original version sounds like how all the other tracks should have been done- louder but still with the harsh atmosphere. The German version is completely synth orchestrated, sounding like something Mortiis did when he was creating sole keyboard albums. The Brompton's version is vocal only, which sounds tortured and hideous but still can be enjoyable to hear if one is interested in what it may sound like to record black metal vocals in the studio.
As a result, this is some pretty specialized black metal that only a few might be able to get into. It is most likely that future work from this group has better production and can be more enjoyed, but the 'winter effects' are far too obliterating to really grasp the beauty behind Sivyi Yar's debut. The lyrics are certainly poetic, as is the willingness to experiment with the one track "Oredezh," so hopefully there will be similar branchings on other works so Sivyi Yar can show their more eclectic side.
As a result, this is some pretty specialized black metal that only a few might be able to get into. It is most likely that future work from this group has better production and can be more enjoyed, but the 'winter effects' are far too obliterating to really grasp the beauty behind Sivyi Yar's debut. The lyrics are certainly poetic, as is the willingness to experiment with the one track "Oredezh," so hopefully there will be similar branchings on other works so Sivyi Yar can show their more eclectic side.
- The Unknown
- Black Witch
- Eternal Fields Of Silence
- Spirit Of Nav
- The Night
- A Thousand Years Of Darkness
- Oredezh (Koldun German Version)
- Oredezh
- Abysmal Box Of Dreams
- Ordezh (Brompton's Cocktail Version)
