As an American of Polish descent I’ve been to Poland many times, and I’ve been there many times in cold winters. There are few places more bleak, in my own personal experience and having been through some of those terrible snowstorms in the rural areas I can see why my many moved to warmer climates. It’s no surprise to me then that Poland is able to offer us some of the darkest and most frigid black metal out there, and newcomers Szary Wilk really define this description with their debut 5-track record, Wrath.
Look, I get 30+ black metal records to review in a given week, sometimes more, and with that volume it’s become rather rare for a new debut to really hit me hard, but Wrath does. This Polish trio captures the essence and sound of 90’s European black metal so expertly. The guitar and bass tone, the drums, the tremolo and the vocals are so on point. And while this record will sound very familiar, the band delivers some really fresh sounding songs that will make you take notice. This band knows how to write black metal songs that are not just true to the spirit but interesting to listen to.
Not sold on my words? Well, just listen to “Mortuos Voco” here and be amazed for yourself:
“Wrath” is another stellar track from this amazing record.
I have no idea who the guys are who play on this record and they aren’t exactly advertising who they are. But I do know this, on my next trip over to Poland, I’m going to make sure I see these folks.
This is 33 minutes of some of the best 90’s style black metal you’re going to hear in a long time. Yeah, it’s that good. For real.
Wrath releases on Putrid Cult Records on February 19, 2021 and if you don’t buy it you’re going to regret it. You can get it here.
