Loss is a son of a bitch, especially if we’re talking people or animals in your life that mean the world to you. The aftermath is a journey, and it isn’t exactly linear, nor do the stages of grief come in any order. It is one of the most profound experiences you’ll ever endure, and there is no clear finish line because there isn’t one.
“Memorial” is the seventh record from Russian force Olhava, and it centers on the emotional tumult, realizing it isn’t something from which you just recover, and it’s an entity that just kind of soaks into your blood. Its two members Andrey Novozhilov (vocalist/multi-instrumentalist) and Tim Yusupov (drums) spill all of their anguish, sorrow, and fury into these eight tracks and 78 minutes. Many of Olhava’s records are emotional marathons, and this is no exception, eating into your nervous system and brain.
“Ageless River X” opens, the continuation of a concept that first emerged on 2020’s “Ladoga,” and this is a tributary into ambience and immersion. Sounds bathe as the pressure mounts, pouring into “After I’m Gone” that runs a healthy 14:16 and absolutely erupts. Howls cascade as the playing gushes post-metal fury, the storms gazing and enveloping. The emotional pace continues its push and pull before calmer waters rinse wounds, the playing intoxicating and moving into an extended dream state that hangs over a significant portion of the middle section. The playing tears open again, shrieks melting through thick ice, lashing through the fog generated from the heat rising, working into a thunderous force that pummels to the end. “When the Ashes Grow Cold” is a monster at 20:21, and it starts with synth pulses, calls hissing, and the drums driving, a massive force enveloping everything. A spacey energy pushes through, melodies dancing among the stars, sounds blinking before the fires breathe new life, the playing compounding and jarring. The back end is awash in heart-wrenching emotion, engulfing with reddish hues, pounding and then easing back into the cosmos.
“Ageless River XI” swims through interference and an industrial haze, buzzing and freezing, working into the title track that starts in a dream state, screams scalding as melodies add to the mirage. Drums pick up, and the senses flood with emotion, shrieks raining down as the intensity strikes and then pulls back, letting the bass plod and the fires blister. The powers gush as the playing glazes, rattling any sense of calm, shooting into the clouds. “Ageless River XII” arrives with birds chirping, atmosphere wafting as echoes knock, and an ageless, timeless energy harnesses new dreams. “The River Wakes” jolts hard as the pace immediately launches, a storming blast taking over the wheel, angling into a burst that scalds. Shrieks rain as the playing washes over, paving the way for a gargantuan force that rocks the earth, hurtling back into an ice age and toward closer “Ageless River XIII.” This final piece crackles with life, synth whirring calmly, your mind floating through time as the final embers flicker and fade into time.
“Memorial” hits deeply not just from a musical standpoint but also lyrically, as reflection on what once was, is, and is still left to be collide and impact us on every level. This record is a total immersion into spirit and self, a dark journey that takes a you down many pathways, not all of them easy to confront. It leaves you battle tested and more in tune with yourself so the next pathway can reveal itself to you.
For more on the band, go here: https://olhava.bandcamp.com/
To buy the album, go here: https://avantgardemusic.bandcamp.com/album/memorial
For more on the label, go here: https://avantgardemusic.com/
Meat Mead Metal 