There’s a strange phenomenon in parts of our society that eschews taking care of one’s mental health and talking to an expert who can help with healing. There are people living with trauma and other mental wounds that make everyday life difficult or downright torturous to endure. The struggle can be crippling.

“Hollow Fangs,” the first full-length release from black metal force Oskoreien in nine years, is a very personal one steeped in survival in the wake of trauma and the moves one must make in order to take better control. Long a project helmed by Jay Valena (vocals, guitars, drum programming, bass, synthesizer), this five-track, nearly 40-minute opus instantly captures you in its fiery, immersive spirit, a record that addresses serious depths of human darkness but also tries to find a light at the end of the tunnel that can come from observing and understanding the pain. On this record, Valena is joined by guitarist Rashid Nadjib (formerly of Wovoka) and bassist Matthew Durkee to round out a record that should feel like a storming experience for any listener but especially for those also dealing with trauma and its monstrous aftermath. 

“Prismatic Reason” gushes open, melody grasping you in its claws, raw growls leaving you scuffed and bleeding. “The grand and the mundane, the sacred, the profane delusions, emphatic confusions prismatic,” Valena howls as vicious guitars lather, and some pretty great riffs activate your bloodstream. Things turn vibrant and adventurous, the leads soar, and everything comes to a jarring end. “Bernalillo Sunrise” ramps up and ravages from the start, raspy wails leaving welts, the pace splattering as the beast storms. The pressure pulls back a bit as more atmospherics gush, and gazey fusion turns into a drubbing pace that leaves you breathless. “Psychotischism” starts warmly before churning, the howls scarring as drums crash and the tempo growing more convulsive. Growls dig deeper, even hissing at points, as Valena wails, “Heartless invective can’t you hear yourself? Or is the chaos of your cognition too great a burden to bear?” The playing growls as delirious guitars melt, the haze making the air thicker.

“Fragments” has guitars scuffling and tingling, washing over as bones are mashed by the force, mesmerizing floods of sounds soothing your psyche. Just then, the guitars get more active, the smothering growing to an alarming peak, Valena howling, “Harboring the knowledge deep within your psyche of the hollow fucking void at the center of your soul,” which is as troubling a statement as any. Clouds then roll in and block out the light, feedback torching prone nerve endings. Closer “To Kiss the Viper’s Fang” speeds into sight, destroying as guitars snake and toy, rupturing with an emotional flood. “Behold: betrayal, mockery, succubus, treachery. Beware: deception, cowardice, desolation, vampirism, desolation, misery,” Valena warns, staticy melody working into dusty corners, the energy then bursting back to life. Guitars ignite and melt rock, leads swim through silver waters, guts are spilled, and cataclysmic emotion leaves a pile of smoldering ash.

Being put to the test physically and mentally never is a pleasurable challenge, and coming out the other side stronger and more able to cope isn’t a guarantee. Oskoreien capture that and its myriad trials and tribulations volcanically and humanly on “Hollow Fangs,” a record that has huge impact even if you don’t indulge in the messages contained within. For those who can relate to this path, it’s acknowledgment, catharsis, and iron sharpening iron in a record not bound to lose its grip on your any time soon.

For more on the band, go here: https://oskoreien.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://oskoreien.bandcamp.com/album/hollow-fangs