White Ward – Futility Report (2017)

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Our never-ending quest to find the most unique and bizarre Metal bands has lead us this month to Poland’s White Ward and their debut full-length release “Futility Report”. This very unique band delivers a strange mixture of Black Metal with Jazzy and a few Electronic elements structured in a very unusual way. For over 40 minutes you are led to a very different and exciting musical journey that will haunt your dreams from start to finish.

The album opens with the first few minutes of “Deviant Shapes” sounding like you are in for another Melodic/Post-Black Metal release. However, as soon as the 2:30 minutes mark hits the album takes a turn for the unexpected with a solemn saxophone making its entry and switching the entire direction of the band’s sound. Creating a very unique and relaxing vibe, this element while not atypical in Metal releases is unique combined by this band to craft a contrasting and yet brilliant juxtaposition of sounds.

Not only stuck in the mellow mood, the band delivers some vicious Black Metal onslaughts like on the opening of “Stillborn Knowledge”, a piece that is quite ferocious at times and very soothing as well. The perfectly paced “Homecoming” allows the listener to explore another side of the band’s expertly crafted sound with a mellower and slowly developing piece that still features their core sound in a different light.

After the completely Ulver-esque “Rain as Cure”, the band continues the onslaught with the killer riffing and super tight drumming of “Black Silent Piers”. This track hands down is our favorite in this release as it perfectly combines both the brutal and the intoxicating melodic aspects of the band. Closing with the intense album title track, as the track progresses we get more of the bizarre electronic elements that add an extra dimension of weirdness to this release.

Overall, “Futility Report” is definitely one of the most unique and intense releases of 2017. White Ward manages to perfectly combine a wide variety of influences and create a very cohesive style of their own. If you like Post-Black Metal, Experimental/Avant-garde Black Metal, and don’t mind going even further, this is certainly a release that you should definitely buy.

Band: White Ward Album: Futility Report

Label: Debemur Morti Productions

Release: May 12th, 2017

Official Site Social Media

Genre: Experimental/Avant-garde/Post Black Metal

Country: Ukraine

Rating: 93/100
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