Conor Fynes
'Petrified Breath Of Hope' - Ohtar (6/10)
I often find it either intriguing, or downright hilarious when bands coming from countries dealt the short side of the stick during the war choose to align themselves with Nazi imagery. It's true that Ohtar's mission statement seems to be more about general Aryan hegemony and anti-semetic beliefs rather than an upholding of der fuhrer, but all the same, this Polish band makes no attempt to distance themselves from that sort of commentary. Regardless, what it comes down to in the end is whether or not Ohtar can deliver good black metal, and they certainly can. Arguably their best known album, 'Petrified Breath Of Hope' seeks to emulate rather than innovate, but black metal fans will find some worthy aggression spurring forth from this duo.
If Ohtar stands out in any way to me, it may actually be the production, which sounds beefier and less treble-dominant than a great many like-minded black metal acts. The songwriting helps deliver this point across as well, skirting away from the tremolo worship in exchange for more conventional metal riffs. These differences are only somewhat noticeable in the final result however, and in the end, 'Petrified Breath Of Hope' makes for a slightly above average black metal album. Necro's vocals may be the most powerful aspect of this sound; he does not sound distinctive, but maintains a rich sense of aggression in his rasp.
Instrumentally, 'Petrified Breath Of Hope' is made a little more interesting by aspects of the songwriting that diverge from the black metal canon. Things such as an acoustic moment during the opening track 'Poison Me, Samaritan' or a dramatic intro to the highlight 'Fog Imbued With The Smell Of Death' all help to set Ohtar apart from the truly mediocre. Make no mistake however, generic raw black metal is the meat and bones of 'Petrified Breath Of Hope', and as a result, it's easy to become bored for someone who has heard this more aggressive slant of the genre before. It's an above average record when you consider the legions of bland filler out there, but this isn't quite enough to make me a fan of Ohtar.