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Ristampa in doppio cd digipack!
 

Ecco finalmente una ristampa volta a calmierare le quotazioni della stampa originale, giunta a prezzi esorbitanti su ebay e simili
 

Russian blackgaze duo Olhava is back with their new studio album. Frozen Blooom is the natural follow-up to self-titled Olhava (2019) and Ladoga (2020), and integrates some dronescapes the band experimented on Never Leave Me Alone (2020), the drone version of their debut.

Multi-instrumentalist Andrey Novozhilov and drummer Timur Yusupov describe their new journey with words of thoughtful contemplation: “When winter is just starting to fade and give some space to the first steps of spring… When life starts to reappear and the very early flowers peek through the thawing soil, a sudden drop of the temperature can leave them petrified and frozen back again, punished by the “Queen of Fields”. This statuesque dead beauty, being infinitely alive and dead at the same time is the main metaphor of this album. Frozen Bloom is about unfulfilled dreams. About how we sacrifice everything today for some abstract “tomorrow”, which may never come. But tomorrow and yesterday don’t exist – only this very moment of static contemplation is real”.

Frozen Bloom is Olhava’s fourth opus in three years, and here the duo took some different routes compositionally. Two of the four tracks are traditionally storm-like blackgaze passages, while the other two are leaning towards a more meditative drone experience. The album also features A. Lunn, who kindly agreed to record an electric guitar solo as well as acoustic parts and choral parts on “Frozen Bloom I”.

Frozen Bloom was recorded at Olhava home studios, as well as at the local rehearsal space. Mikhail Kurochkin took care of mixing and mastering.

1. Glück 11:09
2. Geisterschiff 07:53
3. Dunkler Mann 08:39
4. Findling 09:44
5. Der Pakt 07:56
6. Das Ende 08:38

Digipack CD
 

- Digipak CD (7" cover size) Of 350gsm Stock Paper With Glued In Black CD-Tray, Scratch-resistant
Matt Lamination
- 20 Page Booklet, 168x168 mm, Full-color Printed On 150gsm Art Paper
- 336x336 mm One Sided Full-color Poster, Printed On 150gsm Art Paper
- All Assembled Into A Plastic Overbag
- Limited To 1000 Copies
- Track 8 Is A Bonus Song For The Japanese Vinyl And This CD Edition

Partially metalized clear substrate CDs in fold-out lotus shaped packaging, held together by an OBI strip

10TH ALBUM ANNIVERSARY EDITION
The album contains the tracks from the sold out 10″ MLP 20:11.
DIGIPACK: 4 panel color print, 300g b-b cardboard, glossy UV varnish
SLIPCASE: color print, silver laminate + glossy UV varnish; assembly and sealing into foil.

“Krupinské ohne (The Fires of Krupina) is a concept work dealing with real and magical events that took place during 17th century in the town of Krupina. A coven of witches operated here and instilled fear in the area that has eventually led to their fiery deaths upon the pyres of Catholic Church. Adjusted to the conceptual nature of the album, the music is inspired by the specific mystique and adventurous spirit of 70s progressive rock albums, while still remaining true to its roots of Iron Curtain style obscure black/heavy metal. “

STRIDZIE DNI ("THE WITCHING DAYS") is a celebration of the countryside in Western Slovakia, with all its grotesque myths and lore. All lyrics are written in local dialect and they mostly deal with folklore legends based on rural witchcraft, drunkenness and also national pride.
Like the Slovak soul itself, these songs are often both grim and humorous, merry and melancholic at the same time.

VANHELGA's music can doubtlessly be classed as black metal, but that would be too restrictive a definition. Their music is cold and sinister but with melodies and melancholic moments that can draw you in and lull you into a false sense of security before you realize, too late, that you have been caught in an ominous web of sound that sends shivers down your spine.