White Ward - Love Exchange Failure (2019)

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Unleashing a whole new different kind of beast, today we have Ukraine’s White Ward and their sophomore full-length release “Love Exchange Failure”. Featuring over 65 minutes of captivating music, the band seamlessly blends Post-Black Metal with an Avant-garde edge an a serious dose of hypnotic brutality. Pushing the genre to new heights, this is one hell of a release that fans of the experimental should not miss.

The album opens with the title track setting a very lounge like vibe with sparse piano notes, hypnotic percussions and a jazzy sax. All the calm suddenly transforms into chaos with blistering aggressive passages filled with crushing riffs and harrowing vocals. As the first track petters off, “Poisonous Flowers of Violence” delivers a more calculated attack that blends the ambiance of Post-Metal bands like Amenra and Neurosis, with a more vicious and yet delicate edge. The band’s ability to amalgamate genres in uncanny and each track demonstrates this, like the convoluted “Dead Heart Confession”.

After the lively madness of “Shelter”, the band slowly builds up with the jazzy intro of “No Cure For Pain”. However, this last track does not remain somber as the pummeling aggression of the drums and riffs changes the tempo from 0 to 100 in a few seconds. We particularly enjoy how this track weaves back and forth between aggressive passages and sexy saxophone lines. Our favorite song is the sultry “Surfaces and Depths”, featuring a very playful bass guitar line and Renata Kazhan’s excellent vocals. This track is definitely the most experimental piece in the release, reminding us of bands like Manes and Lethe.

As the album closes with the 12-minute behemoth of a track called “Uncanny Delusions”, the band perfectly showcases all their elements together in one emotional rollercoaster. After a very strong debut full-length release, the band completely changes the game with “Love Exchange Failure”. Expertly combining all kinds of genres to sound like a hybrid of the Norwegian Shining with Heretoir and some sprinkles of Amenra and Neurosis, this release is one hell of an intense experience. If you like to be challenged by music and want a high replay value, White Ward is a band you need to explore.

Band: White Ward Album: Love Exchange Failure

Label: Debemur Morti Productions

Release: September 20th, 2019

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Genre: Avant-garde Black Metal / Post-Black Metal

Country: Ukraine

Rating: 95/100
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