Label: Pagan Records
Date: November 17th, 2021
Oh, here I am after one whole month of not existing in the world of reviews, news, reports and music. Sad days, I admit, but it’s good to be back to reality after peeking only in big, dusty books.
So, I came back in some witchy mood. Maybe it’s because of winter or old Slavic holidays, I don’t know. I chose one the first days of winter solstice to write a little bit about our Slavic brothers and sisters. In these cold and empty days we need music with similar atmosphere just to feel it in the air. Thy Worshiper is coming in big lights with their 5th album called “Bajki o staruchu” (fairy tales about an old man).
At first listening I wasn’t very sure what am I supposed to hear or recognize, even if I have experience with dark, mystic, Slavic black folk genre. Not speaking a word of Polish I recognized one name, “Baba Jaga”. I said to myself this will be a fan. I can’t even say if it is pure metal. It’s some kind of syncretic music that deserves a theatrics play.
Melody reminds me of ancient Slavic war music and it has ritual atmosphere. Female vocal that definitely gives remark in every song blew my mind away in “Gra w kosci”. The song itself is really scary, with a lot of back vocals and a voice of old man (staruchi) in the background. One melody is playing but that is pretty much enough to make a spectacular song. It sounds like a mantra (spell).
Every song is unique here and a cemetery atmosphere is present all the time. Don’t listen to this album in the night walking alone with headsets, please!
Of course, my favourite is the song about evil Baba Jaga that also sounds like a spell. With beautiful folklore song in the background. This is the highlight of the album for me definitely. It really took my heart.
I admire the fact that the whole album is in Polish. That is especially effective. Also, after very occult and mystic music, story is the most important. If we can translate it, that’s “Fairy tale about an old man” in Polish. Songs like “Cien” (Shadow), “Mgla” (fog), “O kwiatku na grobie” (About the flower on the grave) have a big connection with an old man. Not just because he is close to death. It’s because the main motive in Slavic mythology to close up the circle of life is surely an old man. There is a lot of costumes that are connected to this. One was yesterday, it’s called Koledo. All Slavic people will know what I am talking about.
Anyway, the cover photo is effective. A lady with doctor plague mask on herself, or it looks like it, but surely symbolizes death. With a doll sitting and that dead tree next to him, also like on some novel’s cover pages is a part that symbolizes death. It totally fits to the music on the album. A perfect match.
One unique piece of art in these cold days which should be listened to recall the Sun and to be worshiped as the band’s name says.
