Dymna Lotva is reborn.
Formed in 2015 in Belarus, then relocated to Poland, the band consists of vocalist Nokt (vocals/flute/voices, Aconitum, ex-Absence of Life) and multi-instrumentalist Jauhien (guitar/bass/composition). After two independent releases, the band signs with Prophecy Productions for the release of The Land under the Black Wings: Blood, their third album.
It should be noted that the duo is accompanied by various musicians on stage and for the recording, notably Déhà (Cult of Erinyes, Drache, Imber Luminis, Maladie, Wolvennest…) on drums, and that we’ll be using the English translations of the tracks here, originally sung and written in Belarussian.
The album kicks off with the haunting Come and See, which begins with Slavic-sounding melodies before a haunting rhythm chokes us, accompanied by an alarming siren. Screams are born out of these heady riffs, sometimes aided by a few backing vocals, and then Buried Alive offers a soothing clean sound, which is quickly nuanced by growls in the background and the plaintive cries borrowed from DSBM, giving a desperate tinge to this haunting doom. Sweetness is also reflected on Death Kisses Your Eyes, which adopts a most intense contrast thanks to frantic riffs and visceral screams, but also slow violins and majestic keyboards and heady melodies, but the band pulls us in on Hell and its disturbing introduction, which mixes crying and childlike vocals. Brasses also contribute the ominous mood, as do the cries of pain, before a relatively calm final, followed by Ashes, where the musicians wrap us in their chest of quietness before letting saturation weigh it down, while keeping this soothing approach. Darkness intensifies with the start of The Pit, where a vocal sample lets us progress to the waves of pure hatred, barely hindered by the muffled sonorities that can only let the storm pick up again, leading us to Cruelty and its infernal heaviness, where the calmest sonorities are transformed into jerky strikes. Terror reigns once again in the plaintive riffs infested with strange vocal parts, and it will also rage on the mysterious Night Witches (Nachthexen) and its bursts of fury that emerge from between the ominous tones, which the band sometimes moderates with calmer leads. The vocal duo abandon us for a brief moment, before saturated vocals return in full force on Till the End and its catchy rhythm, which even remains captivating when it slows down while giving way to a multitude of intoxicating melodies or fierce vociferations which finally fade out to make way for Dead Don’t Hurt, which lets its rhythm progressively grow while clean vocals appear before offering us a wide variety of vocal eruptions. Quietness gradually takes control of the track before abandoning it for good, until Unquenchable gives it another chance to express itself, only to be crushed by the heart-rending wail that introduces the slow lament. Brass once again makes an appearance on To Freedom, the album’s shortest track, which also merges the different voices to recreate this spirit of communion, before letting Blood close the album with heavy dissonant tones mixed with icy melodies and waves of screams.
Dymna Lotva is a band like no other. Between haunting Doom roots, cold Post-Metal influences and dark Black Metal elements, the duo have recreated a veritable chest in which to rest forever with The Land under the Black Wings: Blood.
95/100
