Shoegaze and post influences in black metal are not my favorite, despite my love for bands like White Ward and Agalloch. It is sometimes hard, then, to tell if one’s dislike for bands that use these influences is because of preference or if the band in question are not capable of performing the style well. Рожь (pronounced Rozh) certainly seem competent enough instrumentally and strive to make mood music with some swelling builds. The intent is not to rip and tear like regular black metal but rather to present something that is either epic, sorrowful, atmospheric and/or ethereal. The bass is audible and the drums’ higher end are drenched in the wet reverb of the cymbals crashing, making the sound overall pleasant on the ears. The guitar almost fades into this production, becoming one with the general direction of the music. The word “pleasant” sticks in my mind as this music seems to be made to have on in the background. “Истина” features a folksy mood while “Навсегда” breaks out in the end with a tragic melody that more resembles atmospheric black metal and” Аминь” ends the album on a doom metal song. But for all this the album still feels very uniform and is easy to get lost in.
If you’ll like this release is simply down to if you want your music to disappear in the background as active listening yields very little. As much as I can recognize the pleasantness of the production and melodies, I ultimately tire of this kind of thing easily. The uniform character of this album does not stick with me like The Mantle or Ashes Against the Grain, neither does it set me on fire like False Light can. It is unfortunately very forgettable and there are bands that have done this style much better.
