Riena – Miekka ja Varjo (Truly Raw Black Metal)
It’s been a long time since I reviewed black metal of this type and I’m sticking with what I said about it before. When musicians pray to the gods of “raw” they typically belabor the point. It’s not about the raw, it’s how you use it (sex reference). Lo-fi is not the answer, for starters, it’s just the beginning, but only a few bands have understood this critical junction in black metal history, as Finland’s Riena demonstrates, quite fluently I might add, within a few seconds of their debut, Miekka ja Varjo.
Honestly I was staggered by this to the point that I almost received a concussion. After the expected, but enjoyable creep intro, Riena sagaciously lays out their vision. Miekka ja Varjo features all the expected tremolo that most black metal bands worship with abandon, but here we find a far more satisfying mix of slow, oppressive emptiness, riffs that slice out of a blizzard like the cold gleam of a blade, with bright, red blood coloring the static expanse that leaves room for the vocals to resound. Packaged together with a final creep outro to complete the cycle, if this is just the beginning of what the duo has to offer, future work should become rather formative for the genre’s unending future. Pure, raw evil in its most uncanny visage is the best summary I can muster.
Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls
Riena – Miekka ja Varjo
Signal Rex
Cover Art: Vhan Artworks
4.5 / 5
