Thy Worshiper - Klechdy

By Hera Vidal. I like my black metal the way I like my relationships: straightforward, but with emotional complexity and the occasional bout of dramatics. Black metal dramatics, however, are best found in the music, usually in the atmosphere the album sets to create.

By Hera Vidal.


I like my black metal the way I like my relationships: straightforward, but with emotional complexity and the occasional bout of dramatics. Black metal dramatics, however, are best found in the music, usually in the atmosphere the album sets to create. In this case, Klechdy is a definite black metal gold mine filled with the dramatics and bombastic atmosphere black metal nowadays seems to lack.

Thy Worshiper is a Polish black metal band based in Dublin, Ireland, which adds a lot of flavor to its rich, folk sounds. Klechdy is an album filled with complexity and excellent musicianship that does not disappoint. The way it incorporates black metal, folk, and melodic tranquility into its music is just off-the-charts amazing, and this album deserves the praise it has received. The most interesting part of the whole thing is that it is a whopping 79 minutes long, and it delivers from beginning to end. Beginning with the opening track, “Gorzkie zale”, the album seems to elevate into a sense of quiet, atmospheric pulling that doesn’t change, but it never reaches peak. It is incredibly soothing and you start to lose track of yourself as the album slips into melancholy. The folk tones and the female vocals are the main driving force of the music, and they seem to emphasize a sense of peace, of acceptance. It’s quiet and it’s so emotionally complex, you have no idea how to deal with the cold warmth it brings.

However, things change toward the end of the first of the half of the album. With the sixth track, “Wschody”, the black metal elements that had been used sparingly jump into the album and set the tone for the remaining half of the album. Everything becomes harsher—the male vocals are harrowing, the music has the blast beat quality of black, and the female vocals begin to wail. The dramatics get to 11, and they stay there for the remainder of the album. It’s such a change that it takes a while to get used to, but, when you do, it is an absolute delight. It’s dark, a bit jazzy, and heavy, with flowing passages of music and beautiful vocals. At the heart of the matter, the vocals are the best part of the whole album, and the exquisite touches of other instruments, such as the violin, really drives the melancholy home.

An interesting note: the lyrics for each of the tracks can be found in both Polish and English, and they offer a window into the album’s themes. I do suggest looking into them to see what the album discusses and what you, the listener can get from it. There is a lot of religious imagery and commentary on death that is evident, which reminds me a bit of Batushka’s Litourgiya. It almost feels like Klechdy is Litourgiya’s more open-minded and flamboyant sibling.

All in all, Klechdy not only pushes the envelope forward on black metal boundaries, but it also bends them a bit so that the music can gravitate anywhere it pleases. The excellent musicianship shows that the band has built on its reputation on its composition and orchestration, and the fact that the music never wavers shows the stamina the band has to create compelling, beautiful music. There are no boring parts in Klechdy and it’s worth its 79 minute-running time. I would not be surprised if this album achieved classic black metal status down the line.

Thy Worshiper - Ozimina

By Ulla Roschat. Thy Worshiper originally formed in 1993 in Wroclaw/Poland, but are now, after some changes in their line-up, a six piece band and located in Dublin/Ireland. They already have several releases

By Ulla Roschat.

Artwork by Anna Malarz from Thy Worshiper

Thy Worshiper originally formed in 1993 in Wroclaw/Poland, but are now, after some changes in their line-up, a six piece band and located in Dublin/Ireland. They already have several releases, some demos and three full length albums, and now they return with Ozimina. They call it an EP, but with its six songs and a playing time of about 36 minutes it could almost pass as a full length album.

Ozimina is an invitation to meet the natural world as well as the supernatural. You're a few minutes into the first song and you feel like you're running through a forest driven by a strong heavy rhythm, accompanied by melodic riffs and the sounds of nature, like howling wolves, dabbling water and tweeting birds later on. The whole EP is an utter percussive matter with ritualistic tribal rhythms, and has, combined with the folky melodies, a great pagan/folk black metal character with obscure gloomy atmospheres.

Photo by Abrisad.

With the first two songs you are just running and following the forceful, compelling rhythms and enchanting melodies. With the third song "Ozyny" you find yourself in some kind of shamanic conjuration of supernatural spirits. A droning hypnotic didgeridoo sound and heartbeat backdrop, spoken words (which I unfortunately don't understand, because they are, like all the lyrics, in Polish) that sound like some magic formula, Jew's harp and bagpipe - all add up to a dense, obscure and dangerous atmosphere of a spiritual world. Other than this song with its thick droning sound, all other songs rather have an open, reverberating sound, which lends them a great dynamic and depth.

Photo by Abrisad.

The next track "Wietlica" throws you back into the "peaceful" forest, beginning with singing birds and a simple rhythm produced by some wooden percussion instrument, which btw. contributes a lot to the overall "forest-feel" of the EP. Yet you get the impression that from here everything is not like it was before "Ozyny", as if the experience of the ritual has altered your mindset by some terrifying and saddening knowledge.

Like I mentioned above, it's too bad I don't understand the lyrics. On the other hand, this way I'm free to develop my own stories to the music. Ozimina is a folk black metal album with a great portion of ethnical tunes from eastern Europe and pagan style rhythms, carefully balanced and with an exciting dynamic flow.

The song "Halny" is featured on The Wicked Lady Show 97

Mad Max's Wheels of Steel #3

Written by Maxim Björky.

Folk Metal tends to get roughed up a bit in some circles. Now, folk bands aren't getting stuffed into lockers just because they reside at some intersection of a cultural faire and a sword n’ sorcery convention, nor is it because they necessarily count more silly bands among their own than any other metallic subsidiary. Rather, I would venture that folk metal’s embarrassing extended family is much more commercially viable and visible. This tends to obscure some very dynamic acts, ones that are both menacing and uplifting, whose albums are unabashedly melodic yet still manage to feel righteously savage. Here are just a few of those.


This is what it sounds like when Polish transplants in Ireland get really into traditional Celtic dances. Though I'll leave it someone more versed in the genealogy of folk music to delve into this, I gotta say that the smoothness with which these guys fuse Slavic and Celtic themes might be as much a testament to their own ingenuity as to the common Scandinavian influences that run through both cultures. The vocals are just great on this newest record and are probably the most dynamic and enjoyable part. If you like acts like Hagalaz’ Runedance, or even Satanica-era Behemoth, this constitutes a must-buy. The end result is some pretty epic harvest season type tunage. Come to think of it, this should have made it onto my best of 2014 So Far list but I snoozed on it hard. Much recommend!

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Artwork by Astral Body Horror

I still having a hard time believing that you have to tell folk metal fanboys and fangirls about this band. They are goddamn majestic. Tengger Cavalry bring Kublai Khan’s conquest of China to life with vivid, colorful instrumentation. Even with my base knowledge of Mongolian culture, it’s hard not to note that the righteous gallop of “Battle Song From Far Away” seems to capture the fortitude of an army which so easily swept across much of the known world in the 13th Century. And while much of the album is horseback riding music, the punchy, memorable “Summon the Warrior” will get the blood pumping. On top of that you get the usual Tuvan throat singing, which complements everything nicely.

I have never wanted to fire a bow so much in my life.

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Artwork by Moonroot

I’ve asked many people, nerds and heshers alike, to define just what pagan metal is and have never gotten a consistent answer. I get that we're splitting hairs here but it seems even the thematically defined Viking metal thing is easier to anoint as a genre. This is what this band is often labeled and I'm just not sure it does them any justice. It’s a rich tapestry of leads, samples, hymns, and blasting refrains, one that’s at its most novel on jams like “Wayfarer’s Awakening”, “Doomsayer”, or the massively rewarding, guitar-driven “Don’t Tell Lies to Children”. Much like the world-renowned beer their hometown of Pilsen is known for, Panychida’s music is crisp and full of haunting accents that linger with you long after. One often recalls Thyrfing or even Enslaved. Just as suddenly, they can rip into some dense commentary on modern warfare on songs like “Love Bombing”. These are the kinds of curveballs I search high and low for.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love slamming cheap domestics to a Finntroll set as much as the next guy but, for me, this stuff is at its most compelling during the kind of soul-searching that happens to Moonsorrow and Arkona than when dressing up to see any one of the innumerable of bands whose whole aesthetic is a dwarven bar fight.

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