UMUR
"WBRRR" is the seventh full-length studio album by Finnish black metal/dark ambient music act Beherit. The album was released through World Breaking Records in 2023. It´s the successor to "Bardo Exist" from November 2020. Nuclear Holocausto Vengeance continues to operate Beherit as a one-man act this time changing his name back to Nuclear Holocausto Vengeance (he worked under the NHV Beherit pseudonym on "Bardo Exist"). "WBRRR" was instead originally released under the NHV Beherit monicker, but it is widely considered part of the Beherit discography.
Stylistically the material on "WBRRR" contineus the dark and droning ambient music style of "Bardo Exist". So at least at this point the black metal of Beherit´s comeback album "Engram" from April 2009 is gone from Beherit´s music. It´s not unusual for Beherit to change style between releases, as their raw and savage early 90s black metal demo and EP releases were followed-up by an atmosperic black/doom metal style on their November 1993 debut full-length studio album "Drawing Down the Moon", and then two dark ambient music albums in "H418ov21.C" (1994) and the "Electric Doom Synthesis" (1996). So the music style on "WBRRR" is not a surprise, but compared to "Bardo Exist" I think it´s a slightly less interesting release. The more dominant emphasis on noisy and eerie dronescapes instead of the sci-fi ambience of "Bardo Exist" is not a good choice to my ears. it´s makes for a harsh and uninviting listen, and although that aestethic actually works well within the black metal parameters Beherit worked with in the early 90s, where they also produced some pretty raw, savage and uninviting music, the slightly more accessible "Bardo Exist" is just a more varied and intereresting release.
"WBRRR" is an album for those who can stomach a full album of noise and drone sounds. It´s well produced and if you look at it from that angle, it´s a good quality release. It´s just such a hard listen and not pleasant on the ears one bit, and it´s extremely difficult to sit through in one go. A 2 star (40%) rating is warranted.