Russian one-man black metal band Stielas Storhett returns nearly three years after releasing their excellent debut album Vandrer… with the new two-song EP Skd. Having been so long since the last release, it’s expected that Stielas Storhett’s sound would have gone through some changes and improvements, but I was definitely not prepared for how different this EP sounds from the debut. The band seems to have completely ditched much of the depressive atmosphere of Vandrer… for a much more open sound. That comes as somewhat of a disappointment for me, since Vandrer… had a very unique and haunting feel to it, but these new songs are not bad by any means, and Stielas Storhett’s new sound does help to accentuate sole member Damien T.G.’s ability to write captivating songs.

The first track, simply titled ‘Skd I’, starts out sounding very Drudkh-like, and immeditately one notices the improvement in production from the previous album. The two songs on Skd have a very modern sound, with the instruments and vocals all very clear. Damien T.G.’s vocals aren’t the greatest, so I found myself wishing the band had stayed with the more distorted, hidden vocal sound of the debut for those, but the other instruments definitely benefit from the change. The drum performance is excellent, and the guitar arrangements are very complex and much more impressive.

‘Skd I’ is full of good blackened mid-paced riffing, while ‘Skd II’, in my opinion the slightly better of the two, contains more of the chugging rhythm sections and beautiful melancholic leads that helped make Vandrer… so effective. Both tracks feature some excellent lead guitar work and a bit of dual guitar interplay while maintaining a strong atmosphere of loneliness and sorrow. After Vandrer… came out I was really looking forward to the next Stielas Storhett release, and while Skd was definitely not what I was expecting, it does nothing to change my high opinion of these guys.