“May you live in interesting times” is an old English expression, usually attributed (probably incorrectly) to a Chinese origin. Rather than a blessing, it is a curse, because as we all know too well, surprises in life can be as often terrible as joyful. In that context, there is indeed something to be said for evenness and tranquillity; we might be willing to do without the unexpected reappearance of an old friend if we could also be spared the appearance of a spot on the lung. But in the context of music, and metal in particular, I suspect most of us would rather have 100 unpleasant surprises in return for one really good one, instead of an un-ending parade (even a comfortable one) of what we’ve heard many times before.

And this new song by the Polish band Jarun is a very welcome surprise. In fact, it’s full of surprises, and perhaps the biggest one is that all the unexpected occurrences within the song unexpectedly work, and work so well that it becomes a piece that’s very hard to forget. The name is “Malowany ogień“, and it’s the closing track on the band’s forthcoming third album, Sporysz, which will be released on December 22 by Arachnophobia Records. Continue reading »