Black Tundra - Daylight Dark (Album Review)

Release date: December 16th 2019. Label: Self Released. Format: CD/DD

Daylight Dark – Tracklisting

1.Red Tide 07:28

2.Anybody else 07:22

3.Eyes Burned 06:58

4.The Passing 04:35

5.Made to end 06:13

6.In my Blood 09:33

Review

Daylight Dark is the new album from Sludge/Doom Metallers Black Tundra who return with a more focused and progressive sounding album compared to their excellent debut album. This album is heavier and more “Post-Metal” based with the band adding more “metallic” groove to their overall sound. If you’re a fan of CONAN, DO, Pelican and Mastodon then Daylight Dark will take you on a heavy musical odyssey that is quite adventurous as well.

Opening song – Red Tide – sees Black Tundra head towards a Post-Rock/Post-Metal style of delivery but with flashes of Psychedelic Doom and Sludge Metal for a more expansive sound. The harsh vocals are matched superbly well against the aggressive melodies driving the song forward to its natural conclusion. The song does have a few “Stoner” based grooves that allows the band to play some friendlier guitar solos which remain quite heavy at the same time. The vocals disappear on the second half of the song and Black Tundra allow the music to fully take over.

Second song – Anybody Else – opens with a heavy bass driving the music along before the Post-Rock sounding guitars merge into a more Progressive style of Doom/Sludge Metal. The song carries on the bleak aggressive sound from the opening song but a more twisted outlook especially where the lyrics are concerned. Black Tundra struggle at first to keep the momentum going but soon get back on the right track to play some epic riffs along the way.

Third song – Eyes Burned – has a more cosmic feel and it’s quite a cool sounding change of pace that allows the band to play a more settled style of music with heavy bouts of psychedelic aggression being one of the best parts of the album. The ambient sounds are another nice touch which allow this song to be one of the main standout songs on the album.

The second half of the album continues with Black Tundra’s style of Cinematic Doom/Sludge Metal with the bleak atmosphere being played at heavier level especially on the final two songs Made To End and In My Blood. In My Blood is a nine minute plus epic which sees Black Tundra experiment with their music even further and ending the album in superb fashion.

Overall, Daylight Dark is another winning album from this Polish collective. The production is excellent and the album is quite loud and intense from start to finish which can be quite unsettling in places.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

Black Tundra - S/T (Album Review)

Release date: April 06th 2017. Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Black Tundra – S/T – Tracklisting

1.Before The Fall 06:45

2.Gates of Moss 06:40
3.Black Tundra 05:38
4.Blinded by the Northern Lights 05:19
5.Circling the Dead 04:14
6.No Dawn 07:25

Members:

Dave - guitars

Tomek Sikora - guitars

Marcin Skarzyński - bass/voc

Blond - drums

Review

Black Tundra is another upcoming Doom/Sludge Metal band from Poland. Playing a style of music that's familiar to everyone who religiously follows the Doom/Sludge Metal scene. Black Tundra has still managed to create an exciting album full of psychedelic grooves with a touch of Stoner Metal heaviness thrown in for good measure. Their S/T debut album has a delicate balance of heavy as heck riffs and almost hardcore style vocals.

Opening track - Before The Fall - installs a sense of calm with a superbly played post-rock/post-metal style instrumental passage before giving way to a thunderous sludge/stoner riffs with the doom and gloom atmospherics not too far behind. The vocals add an unsettling feel as you can hear influences from a wide range of artists within the doom hemisphere. Black Tundra becomes a more exciting prospect when they slow things down and play a calmer style of atmospheric doom/post-rock riffs. It allows their music to grow naturally whilst still offering moments of heavy stoner/sludge sounds in the background.

Second track - Gates Of Moss - sees Black Tundra play a more distorted fuzz/doomier sound with the riffs being played at a deliberately slow pace. The song is purely instrumental and it's perhaps the most exciting track on the album. As Black Tundra create an exciting style of sludge/post-metal that reminds me of early Pelican at times though the drums are way heavier.

Third track - Black Tundra - is played at a faster pace with the superb vocals from - Marcin - making a welcome appearance with the band playing a stop-start Post-Rock/Post-Metal approach with heavy sludge riffs appearing towards the end of the song.

The whole feel of the album sees the band trying to find the perfect balance of their different sounds against the vocals. For the most part they succeed as this album is superbly put together. I wish the band did include more vocals on some of the songs such as Blinded By The Northern Lights as that feels directly influenced by Pelican. The vocals would have established their sound more and perhaps banish all instances of Pelican being mentioned. Though I gotta admit this song is one of the best tracks on the album especially when Black Tundra inject a more upbeat psychedelic vibe.

The final two tracks - Circling The Dead and No Dawn - sees Black Tundra return to the albums earlier heavier Doom/Sludge Metal sounds as they play heavy psychedelic sounds that leave you wanting more. For a debut album, Black Tundra proves they have some intriguing ideas of their own.

I hope for future releases they trust their instincts more as the album is more exciting when they let go of the shackles in creating their own sound. Overall this is an impressive and well-crafted debut album.

Words by Steve Howe

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp