Vorkuta - Into The Chasms Of Lunacy

The Hungarian Black Metal band Vorkuta have been recording fairly steadily since 2002. They have just released “Into the Chasms of Lunacy” and have declared some influence by the American dark-fantasy writer H P Lovecraft. A personal favorite of mine I must say (he even has a Myspace page). Vorkuta recorded what they refer to as an “H P Lovecraft session” in 2006 and this, their first total CD, is aptly named it seems as a slight twist on H P Lovecraft’s novella “At the Mountains of madness” where “chasms” is simply an inversion of “mountains” and “lunacy” replaces “madness.”

Now to the music. It seems the record is made to fit into the Black Metal genre with no loose ends hanging out. That is not all bad, but it is not all super either. The opening track “Warriors of Past” is a slow opening impending-doom wall of slow heavy guitars with keyboards playing underneath in the mix. The distorted guitars are useful but the easy clean solo riff dancing on top of the mix is weak weak weak. Also, the keyboards are just a little too reminiscent of sounds from Burzum’s Hvis Lyset Tar Oss or even Daudi Baldrs. I understand Varg Vikernes is an inspiration to metallers, but damn, he should inspire originality not rip-offs.

Later tracks, especially “My Flaming soul” and “Vorkuta” are stronger and simpler. You know, they carry that powerful simplicity with which Black Metal can knock its listeners over the head and are more like Ildjarn’s work or the tighter sections from Darkthrone’s discography. The album also has two electronica-inspired (dark ambient perhaps) tracks but the last one is another Burzum wanna-be.

I do not mean to write that I find no pleasure in the CDs. But one does look for work that is new the more one listens to metal and I was not blown away by the CD’s uniqueness.

1. Warriors Of Past
2. Gargoyle
3. My Flaming Soul
4. Stardust
5. Vorkuta
6. Within The Fortress Of Melancholia


Paragon Records
Reviewer: Jesse
Feb 26, 2009

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