There is no doubt that one of my favourite labels in Russia is No Name, and I was sorry to hear that Anton was imprisoned and fined for being at an anti-war rally. My thoughts are with all the innocents caught up in this as there is going be no positive for anyone, just a great deal of suffering. Back to the music, and to another powerful release from the label. This is the third album from Stoic, who hail from Veliky Novgorod and at the time featured Vlad Tatarsky (guitars), Arthur Filenko (bass, vocals, acoustic guitar) and drummer Igor Prokofiev, although he has since been replaced by Roman Romanov. Given the name of the group, one might have an idea what they sound like, but to be honest this feels far more like blackened sludge with heavy emphasis on atmosphere which moves them almost into doom territory at times.
Most of the bands I hear from No Name are either instrumental or perform in Russian, but Arthur provides his coarse vocals in English, and all the lyrics are included in the digipak, which is also black and dark with little in the way of light. The bass and drums are at the heart of everything here, providing a crunching solidity which the guitar goes along with, so they are mostly in perfect sync with little in the way of brightness but rather earth-shattering riffs alongside atmosphere which definitely evokes a far more black metal feel. It is worth stating how the band themselves describe the album, as it is something I really agree with, “In the world ruled by fears and false values it ain’t easy to find your own way. Most of us accept clichés prepared by society and live a life drifting down the bitten track. Many a man walk by a dark scary cave and turn away unable to endure its profound depth, perilous traps and pit falls. But a stoic enters it as at the end of the cave burns a torch of truth and wisdom. And only breaking through a myriad of misfortunes lurking there in darkness, he can reach that torch. Are you a stoic? Will you come in?”
Powerful stuff, just like the album.
Rating: 7/10
Links:
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https://www.facebook.com/addictedmusiclabel
