Lilla Veneda unveils its new album.
Entitled Primordial Movements, it is the third from the Polish band inspired by poet Juliusz Slowacki and featuring Virian (vocals, Voidfire, ex-71TonMan), Antris (guitar, Zgroza), Boro (bass, Shodan), Andrew (drums, Komutator) and Marcin Frackowiak (guitar, Thy Soulless Empire, ex-Velesar), and is released on the Szataniec label.
The album kicks off with the virulence of Fury Dimension, an aggressive first composition where intense riffs and visceral screams meet over a jerky rhythm. Old School influences and a Post-Black approach blend to create explosive waves, leading us to the disquieting Sleeping Knight’s Sky, which also spills its darkness through more soaring elements. The contrast is perfect to strengthen each part as the vocalist haunts the picture, leading us to the cold impressive sound of Biomechanic Algorithm, the next composition, where the band returns to choppy martial parts, shaded by mysterious harmonics. The break confirms the quieter influences we also have on Iron-Black Pestilence, with its anguished passages when the band isn’t spewing raw fury in our faces. Scratched Crown brings all these elements together in an intoxicating spiral that traps us in its infernal violence, while letting the rhythm section lead us into a few keyboards before Colossi returns to the majestic approach that honors his latent aggression, which the musicians don’t hesitate to let out at times. There’s also a brief moment of calm before the final, then Immortal Vision of Chaos sets the band’s riffs ablaze and adopts a more moderate but extremely catchy rhythm that gives rise to piercing leads, and then it’s into darkness that Primordial Movements anchors itself with a thick misty introduction. The rest of the track is just as obscure, though more focused on livelier patterns, before letting Pytasz co w moim zyciu fall back into haunting DSBM-like tones accompanied by striking vocal parts, making the track simply unique.
Primordial Movements gives Lilla Veneda an interesting freedom, letting the band blend calm, airy elements with furious Black Metal, all under an as opaque as fascinating veil. The album is an easy listen, with plenty of surprises in store.
85/100