It would be a terrific understatement to say that black metal has taken on many different forms in the decades since its inception. For as many names we see trying to push the genre into fresh and compelling new territory to show us what can still be done, there are many others that continue to find glory and magnificence in adhering to the old paths of darkness and misanthropy. As wide as black metal has been spread across the globe, there’s no shortage of names out there that are making their claims known to perpetuate black metal for all that it can be. For as much as people rely on the established bastions that have been doing the sound justice for many years, it’s the new blood that keeps things going. With their debut, Pogarda showcases that in spectacular fashion.

Exceedingly tricky it is to find yourself in the midst of the overwhelming black metal scene and hope to make your sound stand out, but that’s something that hasn’t stopped throngs of musicians from still coming forth and delivering a powerful performance the likes of which can do more than simply raise an eyebrow out of interest. Whatever the driving force is behind such creations, it still remains the case that even a little bit of know-how can make or break a band’s growth in becoming all that they can be. With just five tracks to call their own, it’s with their debut effort of “Czarne Obrazy” that Pogarda offer us a visage of black metal that’s potent, unrelenting, melodic at times, and intense from beginning to end for all that it delivers. Straightforward but nonetheless gripping for what it does manage to summon throughout its 21-minute runtime, “Czarne Obrazy” has a lot more to it than one might expect. While embracing the relatively typical sense of misanthropy that black metal has become partly known for, Pogarda makes no reservations when it comes to trying things their own way with its personality shining brilliantly through the songwriting and undeniable hooks that are laced throughout practically every minute of “Czarne Obrazy” to make it a creation that’s as evocatively intelligent as it is unrelenting in its depths of disgust for the world as it is.

A bleak vision that’s overflowing with loathing and contempt for all that surrounds it, there isn’t so much as a moment of this debut that doesn’t showcase a captivating level of mastery the likes of which black metal is always salivating for. Pogarda nailed it with practically everything that they sought to deliver throughout “Czarne Obrazy”, and I have little doubt that this act is destined for great things, earning them the indisputable right to be watched extremely closely from here on out.

LISTEN to “Czarne Obrazy” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Pogarda on Facebook here.

FOLLOW Pogarda on Instagram here.