Release year: 2017/2024
Label: Iron Bonehead Productions/Misantropia Records
Whilst certainly not unheard of, all-female and female solo black metal projects are still a relative scarcity. Everyone who’s been involved in black metal since the 90’s will probably remember Greek Astarte, and of newer acts especially Asagraum have garnered name for themselves. But these are/were full bands – Ukrainian Ieschure inhabit the domain of female one-person projects.
Of course, gender doesn’t really matter in the big picture of things. Or shouldn’t, at any rate. Yet, when dealing with such a relative scarcity as a female solo project, it’s hard to entirely overlook the fact, even when the artist themself doesn’t make a big number of it. But, naturally, we won’t let superficial things such as this affect our judgment.
The cliché about female black metal seems is that it’s melodic, dramatic, romantic and gothic stuff. You know, sorta like Cradle Of Filth. Pitting The Shadow, Ieschure’s debut album from 2017 now re-released on Misantropia Records, against this preconception, one will be faced with an irreconcilable abyss.
For, you see, The Shadow is in many ways raw. Very raw. The sound is extremely lo-fi: the drums are a muffled plod, the guitars are a dense fog of distortion, the vocals, which are somewhat overpowering in the mix, are a vicious, violent shriek. And although there are synths aplenty here, they are relegated to providing atmospheric backing to the music, not carrying melody or adding symphonic elements to the music.
Think of something like Dolorvotre (of the Black Twilight Circle) mixed with some Les Legions Noires stuff; or modern vampyric black metal minus the “Finnish element” one is wont to find in it. And throw in a bit of Burzum, at least in some of the riffs if nothing else. That’s the ballpark for Ieschure: not the most brutal or aggressive black metal, but decidedly raw, even crude, and with a marked lack of polish. And the lo-fi sound will certainly alienate people who like things neat and tidy.
But it’s not just that. Ieschure occasionally utilize clean vocals, which prove that sole member Lilita Arndt has actual singing chops. In other words, she can actually sing, and carry a track with her voice, whilst at the same time adding atmosphere.
Musically, too, The Shadow balances the necro crudity of the black metal with well-used moments of sinister melodies and a choice few more orchestrated moments. These are used to expertly set up atmospheres and moods of evocative gothic horror and haunted mysteries: of emanations from the darkness, of whispers from beyond the grave, of malignant presences in the night.
Both of these add a welcome, deeper layer of atmosphere to Ieschure’s brand of raw black metal, resulting in an album that’s got more than one side to it.
Now, The Shadow’s style of black metal isn’t really the kind of stuff I listen a whole lot to. And, I have to admit, some of the shrieked vocals rub me the wrong way a bit. The hysterical urgency of the shrieks just isn’t my cup of tea.
But, on the other hand, as a representative of its style, The Shadow is a competent piece of work. In balancing lo-fi murk with solid musical ideas, rawness with atmosphere and melodies, crudity with beauty, the album is certainly head and shoulders among the most generic representatives of a similar sound.
With Ieschure’s second album just around the corner – it’s slated for release next month – this re-release of The Shadow is both topical and relevant. And even if the second album wasn’t imminent, fans of this kind of murky and raw lo-fi black metal will probably do themselves a service in checking this out.
Only Death Is Real 