With each style of metal comes a specific environment that can fit each style quite nicely. Doom metal gets places akin to a graveyard at dusk where the fog covers the ground, death metal gets a slaughterhouse that has blood saturated into the drywall, power metal gets an incredibly epic battle scene that stretches the horizon, etc. Yet one style that manages to constantly find new horizons is black metal, and it has an infinite number of bands pushing it into every imaginable direction. In the case of Widziadło, that direction is right into the vacuum of space and it couldn’t be any more pristine of a journey.

The darkness of space is one frontier that is far from unexplored for black metal with bands like Mesarthim heading that charge into the blackness eagerly, but I’ve always much more out a band who goes into that long night. I say that because space isn’t a one-dimensional realm that can simply be encapsulated by riffs, growls, and a beat no matter how tasty it may be. Cue the duo of Widziadło who seems to be on the same page as I am, and their upcoming record of “Void” is a testament to where black metal can be taken should you mix with both atmosphere and paired it with thought out ambiance to truly deliver a satisfying flavor. Now, some may not know the difference between atmosphere and ambiance but one spin through “Void” and you’ll definitely know, for not only has Widziadło created something multi-dimensional but they’ve also made something that you can truly immerse yourself in wholly and unconditionally. The first two tracks take us through a very detailed and exquisite realm that Widziadło crafts with seemingly little effort, and it just feels so ethereal that it’s hard to conceptualize this record taking place any place except the endless black of space between the light, the dust, and the cold. Afterwards, we’re granted a look into the dark that “Void” truly embodies as the ensuing ambiance embodies all that is cold and dark about space in ways that words cannot convey, and the fact that these tracks are almost completely instrumental somehow adds extra gravity to the already intensive listening experience. As “Void” progresses, however, Widziadło treats us to an amalgamation between their tasteful black metal and their transcendent ambiance to provide an experience that defines the cosmos in a subtle yet expansive form in a way that once the track closes out, you’re all but compelled to replay it all over again.

I’ve never really come across a band that can do all that and then has me crawling back almost immediately, yet just listening to “Void” proves that Widziadło isn’t another run-of-the-mill black metal band looking to add some spice by merely adding ambiance to the mix. From start to finish, “Void” is all but ever-shifting and is the sort of thing that you can truly lose yourself in if you allow yourself to drift off. Ten years is the time that it took Widziadło to craft this opus, and it goes without saying that their labor was well spent as they’ve created something that can only be regarded as a success in every imaginable way.

“Void” releases on September 29th!

LISTEN to advanced tracks from “Void” on Bandcamp here.

Widziadło does not appear to have any sort of official social media outlet for us to keep tabs on them, but please do throw a like over to the music collective of Opus Elefantum Collective here to stay updated on Widziadło and even more bands in the future!