Russian atmoblack-shoegaze duo Olhava, comprising two-thirds of Trna, has been around since 2016 and already has five full-lengths under their belt. I don’t remember when I first became aware of them but I think I picked up their third record, 2020’s Lagoda, on release. That was a weighty slab of mournful and organic-sounding atmospheric black, which, despite its 71-minute runtime, I enjoyed quite a bit. While I listened to successors Frozen Bloom and Reborn, neither spoke to me much. I think often, for fans of the much trampled-upon atmoblack genre (particularly where it intersects, as Olhava does, with shoegaze), it can be hard to pinpoint why one album works for you and the next is … fine. So much of it depends on the nature and depth of the atmosphere evoked. Clue’s in the title, I guess. So where do Olhava take us on sixth LP, Sacrifice?
Less black metal than Trna, and more evocative synths a la Unreqvited, there is no rushing Olhava. Shimmering soundscapes are what they do, albeit that, where Unreqvited has (at least since 2018’s Mosaic I: L’Amour et L’Ardeur) hints of light and promise in the sound, Olhava is all shades of loss and a sense of hopeless grey. There is also a sense in which, despite there being two intervening LPs, Sacrifice feels like a very deliberate continuation of Lagoda, not least because the “Ageless River” interludes I through V from the latter record, continue onto this one, beginning at “Ageless River VI” and going on to IX. Alternating with the four non-interlude tracks, the “Ageless River”s give a consistent sense of flow, that runs through the record, like a stream through a dark forest. Percussion-free (except for a few sparse beats in “Ageless River IX”), this series focuses on natural, organic sounds and, to a degree, acts as a shoegaze-cleanser between the blackened expressions of loss and hurt that comprise the rest of Sacrifice.
That rest has a sort of ethereal dreaminess to it, which Olhava invites you to get lost in. Andrey Novozhilov’s harsh, rasping vocals surface, sink and resurface again, playing in the middle distance, an additional piece of scenery, rather than a focal point for much of Sacrifice. His work on guitars prioritizes hypnotic repetition and sustained chords over overtly memorable riffs, seeking to gradually infiltrate your consciousness, rather than overwhelm it. Similarly, Timur Yusupov’s work on drums has something of countrymen Grima (on Rotting Garden, particularly) about it, feeling somehow contemplative, despite the heavy use of blasts. The epic “I See Myself in Your Eyes,” at 17 minutes the album’s longest cut, is the highlight, as it shifts through moods, delicate tremolos and synth work, ebbing and flowing alongside drums, which move between deft cymbal work and pounding percussive rhythms.
There is much to appreciate about Sacrifice, at least if you’re a fan of the style, but there’s also a lot of Sacrifice to appreciate. Clocking in at 86 minutes, of which well over 20 minutes is accounted for by the percussion-free instrumental “Ageless River” interludes, there is no way around the fact that this thing is bloated. To be clear, there is nothing I dislike about what Olhava do here, including those interludes, which actually work well to simultaneously break up and stitch together the main canvasses. However, the sheer volume of material here is a problem. The bigger problem, however, is the fact that it is very hard to differentiate between tracks, which coupled with the runtime, weighs heavy on the listener, and not just emotionally. Even “Eternal Fire,” which is probably the most straightforwardly atmoblack piece on the record fails to leave a lasting impact and that is, at least in part, because despite being only the third track proper, we’re already over 45 minutes into the album before it starts. The production does help Sacrifice, feeling light and organic, it is, in that sense at least, a relatively easy listen.
Ever since their tight 40-minute self-titled debut, runtimes on Olhava records have crept up and up, now routinely exceeding an hour in length but, mostly, with diminishing returns. Despite having spent two weeks with Sacrifice, I find myself utterly unable, at any given point, to tell you, even roughly, where I am in its vast reaches. The intrinsic problem isn’t the runtime, however, but rather the evenness of what happens during it. Rather like the cover art, it is richly textured but flat. For all my complaints about the length of, for example, Midnight Odyssey records, they have recognizable, standout moments, which are sorely lacking on Sacrifice. I am disappointed.
Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Avantgarde Music
Websites: olhava.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/olhavaband
Releases Worldwide: January 26th, 2024
