Avantgarde Music is a label that’s home to the most exciting and accessible bands within the extreme metal community and for a band like Syvyj Yar is concerned, this post, atmospheric black metal and neofolk project from Russia has been a very interesting experience since I am not associated highly when it comes to neofolk music. However, this magnificent creation has elements of post black, atmospheric black metal, doom metal and some pagan instrumentals in the mix which gives this album a jawdropping atmosphere to have songs that are aggressive, melodic, adventurous, emotional and impacted which it perfectly balances the rawness, mentality and melancholic passages providing the listener a record to feel distant, cold and discomforting.
Musically, this is if you were to take influences from Agalloch, Woods Of Desolation, Wolves In The Throne Room and Saor put it in a blender with lyricism revolving around mythology, paganism, poetry and Slavonic stories this is Syvyj Yar in one descriptive take. Stylistically speaking, I love the diversity this band created in which most of the songs have these beautiful soundscapes, classical infused instruments and a atmosphere so engaging and lustrous you really do feel connected deeply into a winter hearted land with your body feeling shivered head to toe battling in the most furious snowstorm known to mankind. Not only these songs are fully instrumental, but giving them a chance to balance out the everlasting qualities and progressiveness which gives the guitars, bass, programming, and everything else on the album definitely captures such wonderful things and the brilliantly crafted signatures of these fascinating discoveries make absolutely no exception to skip on any of these because you need to decipher with each consecutive listen front to back.
Even throughout the album, you’ll hear ambient tones, progressive rock layerings and almost Celtic like undertones in which this case this record is predominant, dreamlike and multi-instrumentalist sole member Vladimir has been the carrier and heart of this project making his visionary in discussing Russian culture is truly worth every penny. I think songs like Juice of the Bitter Roots Sweetens to Honey in the Cereal Fields, Through the Fog the Villages Blacken and the beautiful opener of A Voice Sung Softly Across the Fields sounds more radiant, relaxed and darker while Vladimir’s optimistic approach in creating such subsequent and lengthy tracks gives the narrative of the album a upbeat, more melodic and frosty ambience alongside the folky tremolo melodies and a gorgeous space like synthesizer totality has a huge Drudkh influence written all over since Vladimir has been consistent upon each album in creating something experimental and diverse. Golden Threads seeks to be Syvyj Yar’s identity and for a album that showcases growth and maturity this is a definite must listen.
Overall Score: 9.0/10
Review by Jake Butler
