Band: Darzamat
Title: Solfernus’ Path
Label: Massacre Records
Distribution: Suburban - Bertus
Release date: 28/08/2009
Review: CD

The history of this Polish formation goes back to the half of the nineties. Darzamat sort of created a new sound, combining symphonic orchestrations with Gothic elements and an oppressing injection of Black Metal. The reactions were mainly positive, especially, of course, in the band’s home country, yet I need to add that Darzamat’s debut full length, In The Flames Of Black Art, was one of my favourite releases in 1997. And still it is one of my all-time preferred albums.
However, the band went through several line-up restructurations and the musical approach changed a lot throughout the years. Main man Flauros admits not being that happy with the musical direction Darzamat went at the end of last century / at the beginning of this millennium.
Darzamat kept on reinventing itself and since a few years, after the recruitment of e.g. female vocalist Nera (with Flauros being the only remaining original member), the whole picture fits again. Best example might be last year’s DVD Live Profanity (Metal Mind Records).
Solfernus’ Path, which lasts for 42:38 minutes, was recorded at the famous Los Angered Studio with King Diamond’s Andy LaRocque. The conceptual album is, in a way, comparable to 2005’s Transkarpatia (MMR), but also the earlier years (In The Flames … and the 1999-mini album In The Opium Of Black Veil) are of enormous importance too again (like, III Venenum, the intro on the title track). Vocally the interaction between Flauros’ grunts and Nera’s warm voice comes in an almost perfect equilibrium. This contradiction between brutality (grunts) and beauty (female vocals) has been well-thought, and the same goes for the musical approach. At the one hand, the varying songs are built around extreme, sometimes even lightning fast rhythms, with heavy riffs and pounding drums. At the other, symphonic parts with floating keyboards and slower riffs are a sublime contrast to the evil pieces. And this also goes for the atmosphere: dark versus light, natural versus mesmerising, spiritual against worldly etc.
The enormous variation (tempo, sphere, compositions, …) has been created with intelligence and performed with conviction, making Solfernus’ Path one of the strongest Gothic/ Symphonic-oriented Death / Black Metal releases in years.