(written by Islander)
In 2020, the Ukrainian musician Artem “Voidger” founded U Kronakh as a studio one-man band, drawing upon veins of atmospheric black metal and death metal as the elements for his intended alchemy. Since then U Kronakh has released two albums in which Voidger has brought along session performers to assist him, with a third album — Archaic Dance of Winds (Архаїчний Танець Вітрів) — due for arrival on March 21st.
In their lyrics and their inspiration, we’re told that all of the albums draw upon the mistiness and mysticism of Carpathian mountain forests, ancient events, and never-ending reflections about the nature of the cosmos and our place within it.
What we have for you today is a lyric video for the first song to be disclosed from U Kronakh‘s new album. Its English name is “Night Visions Fade“.
The lyrics are in Ukrainian, but I’ve been provided this English translation of the poetic words
Night Visions Fade:
Existence falters, consciousness escapes
Into the boundless night.
Shadows of thought envelop,
Howling into the night, where the cold embrace of dark expanses lingers.
The phantoms of the past whisper their spells,
Chanting truths, unbroken by time.
Untouched by the oppression of treacherous regimes,
Unyielding to the will of imperial executioners.
Destiny passes in fleeting moments,
Time dissolves the manifestations of reality.
The visions of the night fade,
Becoming grey phantoms in the distance.
Ghosts of ancestors depart to the night,
Where distant horizons appear as ashen birds,
Shrouded in cold mist,
In darkness, in their quiet sorrow
I have a concise take on the song, and a much windier one. The concise take is that it provides a dynamic blend of death and black metal that is rhythmically heavy and powerful but also atmospheric, in the sense that it generates equally powerful and heart-felt emotional portraits, channels of sorrow, yearning, and fierce resilience. Its abundant melodic aspects are memorable, including those which freely go beyond the influences of death and black metal, and the raging performance of new session vocalist Vitalii “Wormwood” is as powerful as everything else.
And now here’s a windier take on the song:
Proceeding at the pace of a staggering march across heavily rumbling ground, U Kronakh delivers slashing strummed chords lined with corrosive agents and gritty snarls that sound both hostile and strangled. It’s a grim and dire way to begin, but before even the first minute expires Voidger creates a contrast, bringing in a clear-toned and vividly darting and pulsating guitar motif that turns out to be one of the song’s many hooks.
Even from the beginning, it sounds like a fever is gradually building in the music, and it continues building as the drums surge, the music rises, and the vocals sear with wild cries. But then we get another hook — the shimmering trill of a guitar melody that sounds like miserable pain and urgent pleading.
Still more variations lie ahead, including riffing that’s fierce and feral, neck-popping beats, tank-like bass-rumbling, frantic guitar-leads that sound jubilant, and the infiltration of other melodies that seem to distressingly wail within the tumult.
The music manifests grandeur in sweeping scope, but also creates throbbing bursts of conjoined brightness and heaviness (the growling bass throbs too). The music comes in encompassing waves and delivers big jolts as well, but the vocals are still shattering, and the layered lead-guitars continue to bring emotionally powerful melodies that sound like a tormented soul.
In addition to Voidger and Wormwood, the new album features excellent drum work by Lycane, and haunting artwork by Wintersomnia. It was mixed and mastered by Morvudd.
The album will be released on March 21st by Archivist Records, and it comes recommended for fans of Ezkaton, Silvern, Harakiri For The Sky, Ellende, and Moonsorrow. For streaming and pre-order options, and more info, see the links below.
https://ukronakh.bandcamp.com/album/archaic-dance-of-the-winds
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5z3uyxvAUSRWNfWQbcvWfF
https://www.instagram.com/u_kronakh
https://www.facebook.com/ukronakh