Rå is a tribute.
Created by Belgian musician Déhà (Acathexis, Drache, Imber Luminis, Maladie, Silver Knife, SLOW, Wolvennest, Yhdarl…) and Swedish vocalist Isa Myling, the project was released following the death of Asgeir Amort (Herzog) with its first album, Rå.
Änkan leads the way, starting very slowly and then sweeping us away with an ethereal wave of darkness, giving rise to Isa‘s visceral screams in the background, which give it substance but are sometimes replaced by her transcendent clean vocals, which respond to it and soothe the rhythm. The flow continues its tortured course as the vocalist unleashes herself, allowing us rare moments of respite within a thick mix whose leads struggle to escape before gradually disappearing into the dissonance of Vilse Till Sist, which begins with a sample. Fast riffs, furious blasts, and vociferous cries quickly return to haunt the already heavy atmosphere of a mixture of rage and suffering, which nevertheless allows a slightly crazy lead part to blossom before its finale, quickly followed by Värme Och Väta. This new composition is even more suffocating than the previous one, combining stifling Post-Black Metal with scathing DSBM elements and intoxicating melodies, but the hurricane breaks and allows us to catch our breath before martial percussion announces its return. We also encounter some choirs on this misty path, but the softness is completely erased in the final moments before the arrival of Likvaka, one of the most contrasting tracks between violence and ambient tranquility, particularly during the break where the sample perfectly conveys this duality before returning to the heart-wrenching screams. The wave rages on and then naturally leads to Himmelsfärd, where the whispers are soon replaced by a heavy coldness, but which allows itself a few more soothing drifts, or others that are more dreamlike but dissonant, and even a few Scandinavian Folk roots that blend perfectly with the solemn tone of the track to reach the climax, which ends abruptly, and the album with it.
Where some would see Rå as an excellent Post-Black/Atmospheric Black Metal album, I hear the heartfelt cry of two souls mourning a third. Rå is a rich and striking project that required a special commitment from its creators.
90/100
