MGLA : GROZA
Northern Heritage
Taking what seems an eternity between releases, Polish black metallers Mgla (meaning “Fog”) certainly harness that quality-over-quantity tag of which more bands in this genre should take heed. Seeming to calculate their material by the sum of its whole rather than a disjointed series of individual parts, the material on new full-length “Groza” shows a huge development in its maturity and scope, cutting deep with a sound swathed in bleakness and depression mixed with memorable, almost catchy discordant riffing.
Reminding me of a cross between Satyricon and Drudkh, with one eye fixed on hammering out a solid, bestial groove and the other on creating a dark yet accessible folk-tinged black atmosphere, Mgla have found a formula that enables them to stand out as a force unto themselves without compromising any of the genres stoic traditions. Having already impressed many with their contribution on the “Crushing the Unholy Trinity” compilation and their equally outstanding “Presence” EP, you get the feeling that the thick haze of obscurity that currently surrounds their name will soon lift to propel the band onto a new and much higher level.
80/100
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