Eversince I heard Tharaphita's excellent "Kui Varjud Polevad" demo, I was impatiently searching for any new material from these Estonian lads. It is a good thing that Dangus have finally stepped up to the plate and released "Raev," which includes three new songs and three re-recorded tracks from the above mentioned demo.

Perhaps because the band went through some line-up changes since their last release, stylistic shifts in their music took place as well. While the old songs weren't put through any major reshaping save for Draconic's synth arrangements, the band kind of eased the pressure a little. "Kui Varjud Polevad" was quite intense. When cranked at high volume, Ank's razor sharp guitar and his Burzum-esque screeches surely left their share of damage on my brain cells. Here, you can sense that the guys are somewhat more relaxed, and the sound is a bit fuller. It was all done for a reason, of course. As their new songs demonstrate, Tharaphita decided to leave behind their black metal influence entirely. Now they are just metal, or perhaps modern heavy metal, or whatever you want to call it. They are still good though. They may have become a bit more melodic or added a little folk flavor to their music as on the title track, but this is still a band who continue to create quality music.

So yeah, I encourage you to check them out. Last I heard, the band had almost completed the recording procedures of their new material. Let's hope it will be worth the wait.

© 2000 boris