Zørza – Hellven

Last year I had the distinct pleasure of getting to review the debut EP of Polist Post-Black Metal duo Zørza. Looking back at what I wrote at the time, I seem to have had nothing but high praise for the band – And I am pleased to inform any and all who cares or otherwise stunbled upon this scribble that my perspective on the band has not changed. Which is both good and bad. Good for me as an enjoyer of their music, less so as a reviewer since I am now tasked with talking about said album without merely rehashing everything I mentioned or praised its predecessor for. And that is something I genuinely find difficult this time around, since Hellven, to me, represents the penultimate follow-up release: It is more of the same, albeit with what few rough edges there were polished off and, most importantly, there is more of it since this particular record is a Full-length as opposed to the previous EP. 

So in brief – If you, like me, were a fan of IEI, their former release, then you owe it to yourself to add this record to your collection as well since it is every last bit as polished, gritty yet eerily beautiful Post-Black Metal as you remember. Just nearly forty-three minutes of it this time around, scattered across nine tracks (one of which a Windir cover – Acknowledging their roots and paying homage all at the same time). 

In brief, last year I raved about how I saw Zørza as one of the forerunners of what contemporary Post-Black Metal can and should sound like and powerfully energetic-yet-atmospheric songs such as “Lunacy Of Memories” only cements that fact in my mind. 

Recommended for any fans of Au-Dessus looking to broaden their horizons – Full album stream below, courtesy of YouTube.

https://www.facebook.com/zorza.pbm