Tėkmės

Four albums into a career spanning fifteen years, it seems very strange that Lithuanian progsters Juodvarnis (Lithuanian for "raven") remain unsigned by a label, particularly when their albums are of this quality. The band play a darkly atmospheric take on progressive metal, with clear influences from black metal in not just the blastbeats but the melodies, which lean towards pagan metal and even Enslaved and Borknagar territory – opener Dvasios Ligos ("spiritual diseases") utilising both influences to great effect. And although that might not sound especially original at first the way that Juodvarnis weave their influences into something of their own is entirely compelling, not least for the intensity of the performances from vocalist and guitarist Paulius Simanavičius, who can sing cleanly and beautifully or bellow with the best of them. And the band have a taste in production value that leans towards the grandiose, making for a big and near-cinematic sound with wide appeal. Touches like the wild soloing on the galloping Tamsiausias nušvitimas ("the darkest enlightenment") feels very well-conceived and executed, with plenty of catchy riffing surrounding it that will surely go down a storm live, not to mention the ensuing clean-sung finale which feels like climbing a mountain in a storm to reach blue skies. It's a very Baltic-feeling album, at one with the grey skies, deep forests, and the great cold sea - familiar to black metal fans in their spiritual communions with Norwegian territories on the bigger names of the scene, yet altogether Lithuanian here and wonderful for it. There's a folksiness that feels ancient much like the best moments of Negură Bunget, yet here the crashing riffs and screams of Juodos Akys ("black eyes") are entirely Juodvarnis'. The general five-to-seven-minute song length allows the band time to work their magic without things feeling rushed, and there's plenty of riff and time changes worked in naturally to keep prog fans happy. Juodvarnis are happy to push their sound and experiment, such as with the subtle electronics on Platybės ("expanses") that work as counterpoint under the harsher moments to the ensuing chorus, and there are no moments that crash and burn. Still, things aren't quite perfect yet - the clean-sung and slightly folksier feel of Svoris ("weight") can feel a little repetitive and drawn-out here when compared with other tracks that have a snappier, more engaging pace, for instance, yet even this track has enough epic singing and intense blackened rush to keep your ears pinned back. Overall, Tėkmės ("the streams" or "the flows") is a fine album that shows the band's talents off particularly well - any metal label worth its salt should snap them up immediately!