Band:	Mgła
Album:	Mdłości
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	September 03, 2006
Guest review by:	BetulaObscura

01. Mdłości I
02. Mdłości II

First riffs, first beats, first screams... and you already know that the musical trip through Mgła's "fields of scars and wounds" (quote taken from the first song) will be black and cold. Are you ready?

Mdłości is the second mini-LP from Mgła. The first mini-LP, Presence, clearly refers to the classical, raw, cold black metal known very well from such classics like Darkthrone's Transilvanian Hunger. This mini-LP is no exception. I would say it is a kind of continuation of Presence, but believe it or not this is not a copycat or cheap imitation of their debut or any other black metal album. Far from it. Mgła have many of their own ideas about how to develop their sound, create music straight from the heart, and stay true to the black metal roots.

I would say that black metal as a music genre set its standards a long time ago. Personally I do not think that any band can add something new to this genre. It is closed. It's done. It has its own specific shape. You cannot change some details without changing the overall view. Some of the bands smartly mix black metal with opera, classical, doom, death... and many more. They called it evolution or progress but I think this is just jumping from one quality to another. Taking some of this, some of that and blending it into "new, exciting stuff". Well, sometimes it works perfectly... sometimes.

If somebody decided to play "classical" raw black metal, then he would have to be good, because it is harder to stay within the borders and respect the old rules. Experiments are good and refreshing but usually they won't help you to stay within a certain genre. This is why it is so hard to play "classical" music without making crossovers. Making it good and worth listenening to is even harder. Only a few bands make it in this style - like Mgła and their Mdłości mini-LP.

On this album Mgła plays traditional black metal. Nothing more, nothing less. Sounds disappointing? It shouldn't! This is great music. It engages from the first notes. It has that specific hypnotising, black, mighty vibe that will make you smile and nod your head while listening to it. Escalating riffs with accompanying screams, blast beats and disturbing lyrics... this is Mgła's recipe for an outstanding black metal album. It works and it tastes so good!

The LP's production is actually very good. I mean, it has a typical, intentionally made harsh, low-profile sound... but not as low-profile as you would expect. Every instrument is clearly audible. The bass has a strong presence here. It does not sound thin. Everything sounds very well balanced and creates a perfect black musical landscape.

Highly recommended album!