Review
Maelstorm #62
7/10

Skogyr is a one-man project of one Farakh. The style is metal that worships at the altar of ecology: Pagan black metal inspired by nature and by the sensation of being one with it, whether it be while being under the influence of some substance or just by wandering through it without being bothered by the presence of unwanted human activity or company. Without a doubt, it must not be too difficult to wander in solitude in the outstretched forests of Russia.

The songs on Rainchants are all instrumentals, on which both guitars as well as keyboards play an important role; they’re backed by a drum machine. They are simply titled “Chant I” to “IV,” except for track five, entitled “Silent Hil,l, which is a cover from a theme by Akira Yamaoka, who is a Japanese music composer for video games.

“Chant I” is a crossroad where melancholy and majesty meet with the tranquil sounds of birds in a forest. Slowly those sounds go over in the sound of rain falling, and gently an acoustic guitar and keyboards seep through the speakers. Slowly the atmospheric biotope of Farakh is unveiled. Rainchants is solitary music and works well while travelling in a bus or train, staring away when passing by green landscapes and pastures. It could be like when wandering through the woods walking simultaneously to the rhythm. In any case, it’s music that somehow requires appropriate imagery and associations. In that sense, it’s interactive music asking the listener to be aware of his or her environment.

In support of this idea, “Chant I” also comes as a bonus video version, consisting of several impressionistic filmshots of Farakhs muse, the birch trees. Now I have to say that since I already own Striborg’s Journey of a Misanthrope DVD, which is full of these kind of forest films, I’m very certain that there will be more of them in the next few years. In fact, it was Burzum, who was among the first to combine metal and forest films over a decade ago with his song “Dunkelheit.”

Speaking of Burzum, there is a certain musical similarity with these Rainchant songs and the feel of a Burzum song like “A Lost Forgotten Sad Spirit” (from the Aske EP). When imagining away the madman’s screamed vocals, they both share the same simplicity in composition and drive of minimalistic drums, which are just enough to indicate the intended tempo and rhythm. The difference is that tunes like “Chant II” and “III” are not as depressive, but all the more melancholic.

The melodies are catchy in their simplicity, and for this reason I have found myself repeatedly playing Rainchants when there was no real immediate desire to play something more intense, evil or brutal. Besides, it has become a pretty good and clear production considering it’s all DIY.

The only problem with these “Chants” is that Farakh repeats those melodies way longer than nescessary. It’s like when ‘80 pop bands put out 12″ singles with extended mixes going on and on far beyound the essential.

While Farakh probably intended to extend the atmosphere, he could have done just as easily by shortening two 12-minute songs in exchange of adding two more “Chants” instead. Having said that, this debut stands very well with its unpretentious concept, even though Farakh is obviously far from being a musical genius or technical perfectionist.

The ideas and music sound honest nevertheless, which makes Rainchants a very likeable release.

Author: Pal Meentzen