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PATRIARKH’s return with an 8 track sermon 'ПРОРОК ИЛИЯ' (Prophet Ilja) to tell listeners the story of their hometown and the religious sects within it, utilising the best of black metal and the best of Eastern European folk to build an eerie doomsday vibe.
The album opens with lead vocalist Bartłomiej Krysiuk beginning service with spoken word on the backdrop of frantic writing behind him, then introduces the choral backing in track 2 that will be a mainstay in this project. The harmony of hardcore vocals with the choir featured throughout cultivates the feeling of watching a metal show in a cathedral, a feeling developed through the introduction of the female vocalist to the soundscape.
Speaking German or Polish is not a requirement to enjoy the narrative structure of this project, which is a concept album covering the lifetime of the prophet Ilja and his work in an orthodox religious sect in PATRIARKH’s native Podlasie. The incorporation of traditional folk instruments adds to the worldbuilding within this album, and when tied together with the dark metal and religious elements places a listener well into the context of which the story in the album takes place. The structure of the project is like a dark fairy tale, with a slow build to 3rd act crescendo makes for an engaging cover-to-cover listen, putting sound to a descent into religious paranoia that becomes more apparent as the spoken word becomes erratic and the sound of fire is mixed into the background of an already ethereal soundscape.
The highlight tracks on this project are track 6 and 7, with track 6 offering a change of pace and swapping to a more pagan style of folk rather than the orthodox catholic that has been the inspiration in the previous songs. The female vocalist returns for another gorgeous harmony and some welcome classic guitar elements. In contrast, track 7 gives the feelings of the last service and party before the battle starts, offering the false climax that must have accompanied soldiers of old celebrating as if it would be their last. The 3rd act guitar coupled with a strict and fast double bass drum line and off beat snare captivated the ears and made one ready to go to war, albeit with a prolonged outro.
The main issue with this album was a habit of bloated track lengths. PATRIARKH could have made good use of interludes and act breaks especially within the concept; each of the elements that they wished to utilise were used in every track and often given a full minute dedicated to the introduction of each, where the ability to choose elements and allow some to fall into the background without introduction could have made for a more interesting auditory experience. Adding to this, the everything-all-at-once approach meant that many of the songs had a jelly-like structure, where a whole track had a set structure but the change from one section of a track to the next was a delayed discovery rather than a clear transition. This was also in part due to the mix not favouring one vocal or instrument over another throughout the project which, when done across the whole album, makes a complex soundscape somewhat flat on listening.
Overall, 'ПРОРОК ИЛИЯ' is a solid return for PATRIARKH, encompassing a very strong concept and engaging story that has transcended its language to warn of the rising fear and paranoia that can come with strict religious conviction.
'ПРОРОК ИЛИЯ' comes out on January 3rd via Napalm records.
Words: Julia Brunton
Photo: Jacek Jaca Wisniewsky