While it doesn’t get nearly as much attention as the Scandinavian scene, the Polish black metal scene boasts several excellent bands such as Besatt, Vesania, Arkona, Lux Occulta and Massemord, many of which share at least a couple members. Furia can be considered a side project of Massemord, as all four members play in both bands, although Furia’s musical output is a bit more progressive. Their latest album Grudzien Za Grudniem incorporates numerous styles and influences, often within a single song. Sometimes things work and sometimes they don’t, but Grudzien Za Grudniem is still head and shoulders over what a lot of other bands are putting out these days.

The album opener ‘Jeszcze I Jeszcze’ is easily one of the best tracks on the album, and it’s also pretty typical of Furia’s approach. After an acoustic intro, it explodes with fast, blasting fury before relaxing into a mid-tempo groove for awhile. The song eventually morphs into heavier, almost doomy riffing towards the end, with some frenetic tremolo riffs thrown in to finish things off. Much of the album is similarly dynamic and somewhat unpredictable, although the riffing is very melodic throughout. Vocalist Nihil uses a very abrasive style that reminds me of a mix between Kroda and Kvarforth of Shining, and while drummer Namtar is consistently excellent, he must have pissed somebody off when the album was being made because the drums are hidden rather low in the mix. Besides obscuring the drummer’s handiwork, this unfortunately also has the effect of dulling the aggressiveness of the album a bit.

Grudzien Za Grudniem contains some pretty good tracks and some weaker ones, but overall it’s a pretty enjoyable listen, especially with the interesting touches that Furia insert into their music. Black metal fans definitely need to check this band as well as the rest of their Polish brethren out.

» Download Grudzien Za Grudniem from Musical Warfare’s MP3 Store