Best of 2023

 9) Totenmesse - Fiktionlust

I was ready to make this review about a single individual, thinking about how much I loved the vocals on Odraza's Rzeczom and seeing the same vocalist here, but to my surprise the vocalist from Odraza is actually the guitarist on this project and the vocal duties are being handled by a man named Mold. I'm not being hard on myself for not immediately noticing the difference, but this does speak to something I'm finding as a theme in Polish black metal. It's the undeniable charisma of Polish black metal vocalists, or maybe what I'm witnessing is a little microcosm of borrowed style of delivery among a small group of friends. Whatever it is I love it. The artfully syncopated rhythms, the extremity of how far the rasps are pushed, the textures between guttural bellows and shrieks. I don't know any other metal movement pushing this hard and raw on the vocals outside of maybe the veterans of grind. There's also a stark militancy present like it's in some way influenced by Poland's communist past. I've always loved when Eastern Bloc communist culture comes crashing into boundless artful expression. I'm carrying on, but Polish black metal has been on my lists for the past few years for good reason, not only for vocals, but the passion, the stretch toward something truly extreme.