Review: Pure Wrath – Hymn to the Woeful Hearts
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Review by Jeger
Pure Wrath – Hymn to the Woeful Hearts
Record Label: Debemur Morti Productions
Year: 2022
Rating: 9/10
The art of solo Black Metal is a proud tradition that can be traced back to the genre’s roots, and since then, it’s become a vital part of the scene. There are many reasons why artists choose to work alone; the main one being the fact that some material is so personal that sharing it with other musicians or playing it live in front of an audience is unthinkable. Others just enjoy the freedom of solitary creative ventures. Whatever the reason may be for Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia’s Januaryo Hardy and his project Pure Wrath, one thing remains clear, there are few others out there who are doing it so well. On February 18, Pure Wrath unveiled their latest full-length LP “Hymn to the Woeful Hearts”.
I adore the melancholy and I’m a sucker for a rich atmosphere so long as it’s not overwhelming. But more than anything else, I live for melody; those luscious sequences that move you and give you goosebumps. “Hymn” offers all of this, but with a certain elegant old-world charm that warms the heart while simultaneously filling it with sorrow.
Pure Wrath
A variety of vocal styles were used during the recording of this album from chilling spoken-word to fiendish growls and hearty, ritualistic chants. The opening track “Cloak of Disquiet” puts them all on display, and the shifts in tempo, the riffs and those aforementioned melodic progressions are pure ear candy. “Hymn to the Woeful Hearts” has been described as melancholic Black Metal, but to me, there’s so much more to it than that. Ryo unleashes earth-blistering blast beats, blood-curdling screams and immolating riffs at certain intervals before they give way to folkish clean vocals that transport you back to some simple yet agonizing time in history where great suffering was endured. Piano and acoustic guitars only deepen an already soul-stirring experience.
With “Hymn to the Woeful Hearts”, Pure Wrath captures the essence of human suffering while casting world-class Melodic Black Metal in a heart-warming cultural glow. And the cherries on top are the Scandinavian influences that shine through each riff and the Hungarian Atmospheric BM elements that propel you through the experience with every rolling acoustic part and each gorgeous keyboard accent.
I imagine working alone on projects like Pure Wrath is a melancholy experience indeed as one is forced to dig deep within themselves and face demons and emotions we spend most our time running away from. Ryo leaves it all out on the table here. Lend yourself now if you will to this place where the epic and sorrowful converge; intertwining in symphony to the sound of Black Metal at its finest…
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