Belarusian Sludge/Doom/Death heavies, Matraque, have released the official video for “Volya,” a track from crushing debut album, Nature Morte! Click for the face-melt at: youtu.be/cwF2yelaqDE.
“An incredibly strong album, start to finish.“
– Ninehertz
“One hell of an unhappy album. Drowned in Sludge and battered by Death.”
– Smorg Magazine
“Hopelessly dreadful, in every good sense of those words.”
– Metal Temple
“An album to seek out if alienating, oppressive landscapes of Wagnerian magnitude and dystopian otherworldly associations strikes you as an interesting landscape to become more familiar with.”
– The Viking in the Wilderness
“Nature Morte isn’t for people who like to have fun and play board games. It’s hostile and strange.”
– Metal Eclipse Reviews
Nature Morte is out now on Lithuania’s Ashen Tree Records and streaming in its entirety! The album is available on cassette and digital formats via Bandcamp (the limited edition digipack CD will be available on or around May 25). Click to purchase/stream below!
ashentreerecords.bandcamp.com/album/nature-morte
open.spotify.com/album/5aObkSsDhNkYbAsbafgzLE
music.apple.com/us/album/nature-morte/1806946579
Sonically, Matraque sits somewhere between Grief, Meth Drinker, and Primitive Man. All lyrics are sung in Belarusian. All music is scarring.
Just as over time, anger and aggression transition into despair, disappointment, and depression, the band, without losing loudness and intensity, chooses corresponding forms and nuances of sound to convey their perception of reality.
In search of their style, where low and sluggish masses of sound are interspersed with mid-tempo bursts, Matraque drew inspiration from such acts as Body Void, Primitive Man, The Body, Indian, Bismuth, etc. In terms of genre, one could mention sludge, doom, and primitive death metal.
The band began its journey in Minsk in the spring of 2023. The members brought their experience from previous projects such as Rowan, Televoid, krvvla, Схизма, kusto., Coat, and Łaska.
Track Listing:
1. Kola
2. Pustazelle
3. Malimon
4. Volya
5. Pry`py`nak
Credits:
Drums recorded at Chili records, Minsk by Roman P.
Guitars, bass, vox recording at Zeleniy Lug “Children of Tsnyanka rec.”, Minsk, by Alexander G.
Mixed and mastered by Alexander G. at Gasprodmusic.
Art by Marta Shcherbich.
Logo by Olga Kisielewicz.
Line-up:
Vlad B. – Guitar
Anton M. – Drums
Evgeniy S. – Bass
Alexander G. – Vocals, Synths