Band:	Pathway
Album:	Ересиархи
Style:	Post black metal
Release date:	November 27, 2024
A review by:	AndyMetalFreak

01. Лимб
02. Минос
03. До Тверди Земной
04. Златорукий
05. Ярость Стигийская
06. Колесо Екатерины
07. Ключ К Некрополю
08. Малебольдже
09. Томление Уголино

Which Pathway will the Heresiarchs of Russian post-black metal take this time?

Pathway (aka Путь or Pskovway) are a Russian post-black metal band that formed back in 2013. The band originally started out as a one-man project masterminded by Dmitry Yakovlev, before expanding into a fully established 6-piece band in 2017. The band's style is mainly modern post-black, but feature traditional folk instruments whilst leaning towards atmospheric and meloblack tendencies, with music mainly centred around cold, wintery themes. The band released their full-length debut Песни Смерти (Songs Of Death) in 2018, an album which gained an overall positive reception. Now they return 6 years later to present their sophomore effort Ересиархи (Heresiarchs).

Ultar, Olhava, A Light In The Dark, and of course Pathway are just a few names that have made a solid impression on Russia's post-black scene in recent years. However, not many have taken the rather bold step of introducing traditional folk elements to this modern post-metal approach. Pathway are one of the few bands that have, and have done so well. The most striking folk instrument featured on the debut was the accordion, performed wonderfully by Artem Mnatsakanyan. Classic and folk instruments are not exactly rare in black metal, but the accordion is quite an overlooked feature in comparison to the likes of the saxophone, flute, and violin. So, this instrument played a significant role in helping Pathway create their signature sound that helped them stand-out from the crowd.

Maxim Markelov (bass) and Nikita Platonov (drums) continue to lead the rampant rhythm section, as they did on the debut. Dmitry Yakovlev and Mark Shamchinskiy continue to unleash their furiously melodic tremolos and memorable solos. Andrey Kovalev returns with his alternating menacing death growls and tortuous blackened shrieks, and Artem Mnatsakanyan offers his magic expertise on the old accordion once again. But, by delving into a variety of other styles and influences (and not just sticking with the accordion as the striking main feature), this latest album further develops the sound and style established on their debut. Here, the band venture into dark, twisted, dissonance with elements of death metal to counterpart their ferocious meloblack, whilst post-metal sections build-up with more intensity.

However, the most noticeable element you'll notice is the newly introduced symphonic arrangements. "Лимб (Limbo)" starts the album off with a hellish cinematic intro containing a variety of creepy synth effects, and these symphonic elements retain a constant presence in the background, layered beneath the instrumentation and vocals. For the few moments the instrumentation is hidden, there are moments that sound like an ideal epic fantasy movie soundtrack. The songwriting is more varied and structurally complex than the debut, and they've clearly taken a more ferocious direction, adding fewer soft atmospheric passages. The total length is also quite drastically cut back from the previous album, whose run-time clocked in at over an hour in length.

Have these changes been an improvement on the band's stylistic direction? I'd personally say not quite. I can't say venturing into this hellishly dark, uncomfortable soundscape has captured me quite as much as the enchanting wintery soundscapes of the debut. No song is badly performed, though, and thought has clearly gone into crafting these songs, but there's very few actual stand-out moments other than the occasional striking riff melody and solo which stick with me in the end. Ересиархи isn't a fail, though, despite not reaching the heights of the impressive debut. It's a step in another direction that may take time to adjust, so let's see where Pathway will lead us down next.