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Otzepenevshiye
2 CD (ltd. 300) |
At last! The first major solo release from Otzepenevshiye in 11 years of the band's existence! The project was shaped in 2006 by Evgeniy Voronovskiy (Cisfinitum), Dmitriy Zubov (Hypnoz, Zuboff Sex Shop) and Ivan Napreenko (Sal Solaris, Θ16), but after some time transformed into a duo of Ivan and Arnold_pR (Reutoff, Myrrman). Otzepenevshiye have recorded many compositions published on compilations on various occasions by such labels as Heliophagia, Ewers Tonkunst, Old Europa Cafe, etc. The only full-length album "For a Knife" was created in collaboration with the band Vir' (2013, Zhelezobeton Distribution Division). And only now many scattered pieces, like cold drops of condensate, have accomplished their cycle and gathered in two dazzingly freezing snowflakes.
Powerful and catchy guitar riffs, relentlessly sharp industrial rhythmics, minimalistic pads and authentic field recordings – these are the lattice points of the sound of Otzepenevshiye. The need to use understandable terms makes us turn to such tags as industrial doom metal, drone-doom or doomgaze, but anyway we can't avoid the word "doom" here. Yes, this music has darkness inside, there's suffering, there's a feel of real experience, but also a clear conscious gaze towards the other side of the rubicon. Otzepenevshiye know how to get to the very depths and see the blackness that contains the infinite cosmic absolute.
Apart from solo recordings, the second disc features tracks created in collaboration with Circle Of Unexisted and Vir' and remakes of compositions by Banda Chetyryokh and Thergothon. The material of this album was released in small cassette editions by NEN Records, including several bonus tracks. The track-list of this double-CD edition was specially adjusted by the musicians for the sake of maximum immersion.
Reviews
'Razryv Svyazi' is Otzepenevshiye's first major release in the 11 years of the band's existence. This industrial death/doom/sludge metal outfit was originally formed in 2006 by Evgeniy Voronovskiy (Cisfinitum), Dimitriy Zubov (Hypnoz, Zub off Sex Shop), and Ivan Napreenko (Sal Solaris, 016), but after some time transformed into the duo of Ivan and Arnold_pR (Reutoff, Myrrman). Otzepenevshiye have had tracks on numerous compilations previously, but their only full-length album ('For A Knife') was in collaboration with the band, Vir. Now here they are alone (for the most part) in all their noise-infected walls & slabs of distorted guitar glory. On the second CD features collaborations with the bands Circle of Unexisted, and Vir, and also remakes of compositions by Banda Chetyryokh and Theregothon. If all this sounds obscure to you, you are not alone; you'd have to have a familiarity with the Russian underground doom metal scene to really know any of these names, but that's what I'm here for. The first thing you need to know about the music of Otzepenevshiye is that it's (mostly) instrumental. Any vocals/voices used in the music seem to be strictly incidental or ephemeral, save for a couple of tracks on CD 2 but we'll get to that later. The second thing you need to know is that the title, 'Razryv Svyazi,' means 'Disconnection,' if that's in any way helpful. Some of this might even be described as "doomgaze" as there is a strong reliance on atmosphere even over content and form in some cases. There are only five tracks on the first CD (still 71 minutes) but they're all rather long, ranging from a little over 9 minutes to a little over 23 minutes each. It starts out innocuously enough with some drone and slow paced doom drums, but when the squalling atmospherics and eventual mass of distorto-guitar and other noise-sonics kicks in, you'll feel you're on Jupiter with all its gravity bearing down on you. It's pretty oppressive all the way through. The second track begins with some ostinado bass guitar that moves into a sludgy, heavy groove that just seems endlessly endless. (Yep, this is the 23 minute track.) To be perfectly honest, the first CD was a bit hard to take- a depressingly slow crawl through a bleak, nightmarish landscape eternally. Great walls of guitar noise block your path at every turn as the doom drums beat you into submission. Some people are really going to love this though as I know there's market out there for this kind of music, especially when it's as well done as this is. There is some variety in form and content on the first CD but not nearly as much as on the 2nd CD. CD 2 has more tracks and of shorter duration (approximately 8-13 minutes each), also with more sonic variety and form. I noticed more industrial aspects on the 2nd CD as well as ambiences. Some songs go through a number of radical changes before they play out which adds some spice and keeps things from getting dull. There's also more melodic content in places. Overall I liked the drum-work/rhythms better on the second CD as well. Even the atmospherics seemed more refined than on the first CD. In fact, there are parts that are industrial drone dark ambient, and I love that kind of stuff! There are two tracks with vocals - (Title in Russian I can't really duplicate) where a voice just barely above a whisper recites the barely melodic melody, and "The Black" where the vocals are sort of screamed in the background. For me, the former was preferable to the latter, but whatever, it all works. While most of this is not my prime kind of music, I'd recommend it to those who crave industrial death/doom/sludge metal; it's worth seeking out. Comes in a neat glossy double slipcase, and my copy had 3 interestingly gloomy postcards, one with photos of the band members who look unsurprisingly wretched.
Genre/Influences: Industrial, drone.
Background/Info: This is the first significant release of Otzepenevshiye in 11 years. Set up in 2006 by Russian artists Evgeniy Voronovskiy (Cisfinitum), Dmitriy Zubov (Hypnoz, Zuboff Sex Shop) and Ivan Napreenko (Sal Solaris, Θ16) the project is now driven by Ivan Napreenko and Arnold_pR (Reutoff, Myrrman). The second disc of the album features tracks that were originally composed with Circle Of Unexisted and Vir’. It was originally released on cassette format (NEN Records) and here features some bonus cuts.
Content: Otzepenevshiye reminds me of early The Swans. There’s a similar industrial guitar play mixed with bombastic drums/drones. The sound atmosphere is pretty dark and even anguishing. Industrial and epic sounds are resonating while the guitar play sometimes feels like an obscure ritual play.
Most of the cuts are instrumentals, but you’ll notice a few spoken vocals and/or samplings. The tracks are still featuring field recordings reinforcing the industrial format of the work.
+ + + : This kind of industrial-guitar work mixed with drones is not new, but not exactly the most common industrial format. I like this heavy bombast, which often reminds me to early Swans – which is more than simply a reference for this kind of industrial work. Next to the guitar play the work also features industrial arrangements and heavy bombast. It all together creates a damned freaky sensation, which especially excels at the last songs from the 2nd disc. The vocals here added something extra totally achieving the album.
– – – : I would have liked to get more tracks with some vocals/samplings. It creates extra diversity while the sound formula now sounds a bit repetitive and predictable after a while.
Conclusion: This is an interesting industrial format reminding us that this kind of music style is much more than hard power-electronics composed by electronic gear. Otzepenevshiye sounds more primitive, but still more authentic!
Best songs: “The Black – Septic Version”, “ДАЕРММУАЗУАЯ”, “На Западном Фронте – Nichts Neues Rework”, “24 212 Дней”.
Rate: (7½).
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