Shine unveils its darkness.
Created by Tomasz Dobrzeniecki (guitar, ex-Hazael, ex-Empheris…), this new project brings together Marek Krajcer (vocals, Offence, Beuthen, Witchfuck…), Mateusz Waskiewicz (guitar, Baalberith, Varheim), Wojciech Gasiorowski (bass, Varnheim) and Pawel Duda (drums, Baalberith, Varnheim) in the Dark Descent Records roster for the release of their first album, Wrathcult.
Ancient Chaos welcomes us with mysterious, almost mystical sounds as the choirs rumble in the background behind the intoxicating melody that ultimately leads to the first wave, The Lamb Against the Wolf. The sound remains very occult and majestic while naturally adopting its aggressive saturation, which becomes increasingly raw until it reaches an uncompromising brutality that serves as the basis for the roars and piercing leads, but an icy breeze will disrupt the march to make it more martial. The track eventually speeds up again, just like on Kneel Before the Serpent, which follows and unleashes itself without delay, revealing all its bloodthirsty cruelty thanks to a constantly aggressive mix that skillfully alternates between all its weapons to maintain a constant intensity. We continue with Oddajcie co moje, which adopts a slightly lighter dissonant touch while remaining cold but quite visceral, even offering tangled melodies and more solemn vocals before returning to rage on The Cult of Oak and its fast-paced start. Every moment of this composition is dedicated to violence, regardless of its form, and despite a few slightly slower passages that allow us to pause for breath—such as the groovy bass break—we feel that The Horror of the Night takes a similarly frenzied direction while incorporating some fairly marked and interesting Melodic Black/Death influences. Swedish roots seem to naturally infiltrate the band’s vengeance, as well as very diverse influences ranging from Thrash to Pagan, while Witch’s Prophecies, on the other hand, offers a very haunting pace to start with. Although its effects are still felt, it doesn’t last long and regularly gives way to rage, allowing us to bang our heads before taking a breather and finally joining Wrath of the Hammer, which in turn drives the point home with massive rhythms and very tasty dissonant touches that blend perfectly with the blast beats. The pace of the track changes often, keeping us on the edge of our seats, as does the acceleration that gives rise to the solo, then the vocals become more sinister before The Necklace with Runes and its ethereal elements transform the introduction into a true moment of contemplation, in contrast to the rest of the track, which offers rousing waves between two mystical passages. The track finally ends in this disturbing tranquility, then gives way to Ancient Spirit, an outro of just over two minutes that gently lets us out of this straitjacket of violence before closing the album.
With this new project, Dobrzeniecki knows exactly where he’s going, and all his influences blend beautifully in Shine to unleash violence and darkness. It’s almost impossible not to like at least part of Wrathcult, if not the entire album!
85/100