Not to be confused with the more popular Zyklon from Norway (featuring Samoth and Trym of Emperor fame), Zaklon hails from Minsk, Belarus and is all about sweeping, atmospheric black metal. Each song on Chornae Lis’ce, which loosely translates to Whisper of Black Foliage, is drenched in eerie undertones and soaked with despair. What that means is everything found on this, Zaklon’s third full-length, is per the norm for this version of black metal.

Each of the proper songs follows a similar blueprint of blistering blast beats and fierce singular riffs carried on and on for several minutes. Granted, sole member Temnarod infuses plenty of moods and melodies throughout the album, but the core structure of each actual song too closely resembles the one that just preceded it. Regardless of whether the passages take a turn for the slower, drearier delivery or sheer savagery, the overall riff structures are virtually untouched.

Temnarod trades off a run-of-the-mill raspy black metal vocal approach with solemn, mournful clean vocals, but it’s sometimes tough to fully digest everything the album offers because it’s simply too samey. When played start to finish, the album largely sounds like one long song with keyboard interludes placed sporadically throughout, which unfortunately drags the album down several notches.

Temnarod has plenty of promising ideas and his musical ability, along with his artistic vision, is without question. When he weaves a quasi-orchestral backdrop to the blackened metal, it usually works well. But, like stated previously, the mainframe of music all tends to bleed together. In short, most of the ebb and flow of the album stems from the keyboards, even though the guitars are what appear to be the driving force within each track. It’s a solid album, though there are too many limitations within the music; perhaps he should consider adding a second or third musician to the lineup to add depth?

[Visit the band's website]

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