Olhava is as productive as ever.
After a single and a split in 2016, Andrey Novozhilov (all instruments/vocals, Trna) hired Timur Yusupov (drums, Trna, Somn), and since the duo has released one album after another. They announced in 2022 the release of Reborn, their fifth album, in collaboration with Avantgarde Music.
The first track unveiled is Mirror. A long but sweet introduction, which bewitches us before exploding with a killer blast and gripping riffs, which will finally welcome tortured and ghostly vocals. The icy wave gradually changes into a catchy sound while adorning itself with Folk influences, but raw rage is never far from those majestic keyboards, and even the soothing break will only temporize it. The band continues with Reflection, which takes the same direction with a hypnotic and celestial introduction before slowly getting darker. The keyboards will be the only component of this track, which eventually returns to the light with a persistent sound that leads us to Reborn I, a song which immediately becomes more oppressive before releasing the musicians’ raw strength. There are also haunting screams in the background, greatly reinforcing the contrast with the airy sounds which fly over the massive rhythmic, then nature takes over to soothe our minds before Reborn II brings back the instruments’ slow progression. Again, the visceral explosion will give voice to fury, but keyboards are never far away, just like those more joyful patterns which will express themselves towards the end of the track, to finally close the album in silence.
Olhava’s icy universe calls for contemplation and meditation. With Reborn, the band perfectly knows how to flood us with fury, but also with quietness thanks to these heady airy sonorities.
90/100