Label: Satanath Records
Origin: Donetsk, Ukraine
Teeming with acidic vocal fury and scathing melodic riffs, the essence of Kuhaghan Tyyn wafts through the labyrinthine halls of a derelict speakeasy to greet imbibers with scorn. Haissem, the wrought iron cauldron of Andrey Tollock, crafts a cryptic brew of evil incantations brimming with intoxicating ingredients, ranging from mellow cello outros and angelic vocals to masterful guitar pours.
Kuhaghan Tyyn forges contrast from its nascent moments: hollow guitar notes play solitaire on an empty wooden bar before crushing medieval lore and ungodly howls sit down at the table in a full-fledged saloon. Unyielding lead licks rifle through opening track “Black Tide Dominion” and check-raise Andrey’s vocals until the latter goes all in, decisively matching the guitar’s confidence and taking the bloated pot. Epic arena rock power chords palm mute a transition mid-song, trading black metal roulette for an ominous cello-ridden busted ballad. Only 11 minutes into the album, Haissem has already toured us around the ghost-town casino that is to be our confinement.
Standout track, “Aokigahara,” blasts ahead with tasting notes of Dark Funeral, yet quickly abandons the traditional black metal blackjack table. Experimental orchestral passages behind deviously shredded licks splash between Emperor and solo-Ihsahn, while pointed, entwining riffs balance vocal pitch with the precision of Death‘s more progressive, dexterous dealings. Confident, guitar-forward solos harken to melo-death made famous by the Göteburg scene while buzzed voodoo verses borrow from the many progenitors of American Heavy Metal (Burn the Priest‘s debut album or early Tool). Ungodly shrieks fold against a straight of heavenly orchestral strings, all while blast-beaten mayhem holds a full house in rapt attention.
Aokigahara (20:11 - 29:55) Haissem - Kuhaghan Tyyn (2020) [Full Album] - YouTube
Returning to black metal roots, second track “Arcanum” crushes dreams with boozy power chords from the taps of hell. Meandering riffs soon follow, regulating the undulating growls just as the cooling copper coil of a still chills the Devil’s elixir. Throaty spoken-word tempers everclear palm-muted riffs, and infuses Ihsahn-inspired herbs and spices just as the batch is ready for bottling. Soon the inceptive pace returns to soak backing symphonic passages with besotted spite, and eerie synthetic notes sink the listener further into oblivion. The whiff of choral backing vocals foreshadows their enhanced presence on final track, “Кuhаҕан Тыын.” Female vocalist Alyona Malytsa climbs soaring ethereal scales in conjunction with harsh growls in the throes of melodic riffage. This magnum opus condenses an entire galaxy of hopped-up aggression and potent spirit into an epic black hole, with a prolonged silence that ages the panicked chanting, and with brass-knuckle closing chord bashing (ala Tool‘s Aenima). After the dust settles, a revitalized riff barrels ahead with a dazzling solo that enshrines Kuhaghan Tynn on the top shelf in the medieval cellar of blackened greatness.
Haissem, the one-man distiller of evil from Ukraine, has explored the entirety of heavy metal’s ancient compound, specifically catering to its caged, inebriated black metal beast. Blending dense, blast-beaten sections of blackened chaos with celestial solos and saturated riffs, Kuhaghan Tynn is a soot-infested cosmic cask waiting to be tapped.
FFO: Emperor, Dark Funeral, Dissection, Dimmu Borgir
BLACK METAL EXTRACT
