YounA - Zornvlouch
Opening with ‘Knochen…’ one can instantly tell how Mts presents the music. The track uses an eerie opening of samples before exploding into the actual black metal side of things while adding samples in here and there to keep up the atmosphere. The chugging guitar has its thrashy moments which adds a bit more rhythm amongst the tremolo picking and overall brings similar sounds heard in groups like earlier 1349 or Watain. The music is raw and thunderous and has all the trappings of typical black meta, but YounA also includes a lot of choir features which are heard in groups like Batushka or even Funeral Mist, and these elements are what really raise YounA above the standard lo-fi black metal sound. Other tracks like ‘Vreveler’ use the elements more in an effective way by adding more bass and drum and less guitar but the style is certainly still black metal vs avant garde metal.
Other tracks like ‘Tievelswizzan’ and Verdreib…’ are more one’s standard thunderous black metal assault with almost no atmospheric elements save for brief moments at the end or beginning of the music. Those who like the genre with just full out speed with really appreciate these. Other tracks like ‘Tievelscuhtic’ and ‘Urgewalt’ are more balanced between adding the atmospheric bits with the faster traditional black metal parts and are less polarizing compared to the other tracks that seem to be “all atmosphere” vs “all harsh black metal.” Listeners may feel a bit divided on some of them because the tracks are either lacking in elements they find appealing, or because the track is so different from what they were expecting originally based upon what came before it. YounA has a lot of formula goes for it and mostly seems to use them to great effect even when they aren’t altogether.
The atmosphere seems to really make the album stand out though, so tracks like ‘Vreveler’ are softer but by no means any less grim. The quieter moments seem only to enhance the cold atmosphere that Mts creates, so more of this would have made the music even better, versus using speed black metal passages that overshadow the choral bits or slower drum moments, or just adding them in for a few seconds here and there before blasting things back up again, which breaks the pace, but doesn’t let the atmospheric parts hang around enough to really set in the listener before they get engulfed in the heavier parts. Tracks like this will certainly stick with the listeners and it is a shame there isn’t enough of them like that. Still, “Zornvlouch” gives fans of black metal who like their music evil but not just a whirlwind of buzzsaw sounding guitars and drums a taste of something a bit more twisted, while still sounding occult and raw at the same time like a midnight walk through the woods.
3.5 / 5 STARS
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2. Tievelswizzan
3. Zornvlouch
4. Vreveler
5. Tievelsuhtic
6. Verdreib Und Verderben
7. Urgewalt
