CoC : Svarog - Svarog : Review

Svarog - _Svarog_
(Elegy, 1996)
by: Henry Akeley (4 out of 10)

This cassette-only release from Elegy is notable less for the music contained upon it, which basically sucks, than for the totally over-the-top black metal boasting that dominates the packaging and the accompanying bio. You see, Svarog claim to be members of an ancient Central European barbarian tribe which inhabits, to this day, "a harsh region that has survived untouched by foreigners with their silly ideas." "Centuries ago," we are told, "they beheaded all intruders - an act still symbolized in the ritual decapitation of their monstrous cattle." Ahem. Also, Svarog claim to have recently chopped off the head of a very unlucky (and very anonymous) black metal musician from Norway. Okay ... But the offending head-remover "was sentenced to work in the uranium mines for life," which means that Svarog now only has one member. That would be Strashidlo, who has apparently declared war on the remaining members of Norway's "Inner Circle." Well, Strashidlo, I hate to say it, but musically the Norwegians (and pretty much everybody else) totally kick your boasting barbarian butt. Okay, so the agility of your playing hands is limited by those boulder-punching warrior rites designed for "fusing the first two knuckles into one impaling knob." And yeah, you have created a very chaotic sound, one that reminds me a lot of old Beherit material, but that's about all I can say. You definitely haven't come up with anything I'd really recommend to anybody else.

(article published 18/4/1996)