Pure Wrath - Hymn To The Woeful Hearts (2022)

As one of the most anticipated 2022 releases for us, “Hymn To The Woeful Hearts” takes Pure Wrath’s music to a whole new level. Delivering over 44 minutes of highly atmospheric and very emotional Black Metal music, this album perfectly channels the fury and intensity of the band’s earlier releases with a hefty dose of melancholy and refinement.

Wasting no time in asserting itself, “The Cloak of Disquiet” opens with a very solemn and short intro as it quickly morphs into raw aggression thanks to blistering drumming and crushing harsh screams. We particularly love how the melodic arrangements quickly blend into the waves of brutality the band puts forth, as pieces like “Years of Silence” and “Presages From A Restless Soul” clearly show. There is great skill in being able to have such masterful transitions without sounding forced or abrupt.

We have always compared this band to a little known Korean outfit named Sad Legend as the atmosphere Pure Wrath creates is distinctly different from European bands in the genre. Aside from this, the eerie clean vocals and dramatic use of piano and cello (courtesy of Dice Midyanti) craft a very unique and mournful atmosphere, particularly on pieces like “Footprints Of the Lost Child” and “Those Who Stand Still” with its epic guitar leads.

Closing with the elegant instrumental title track, “Hymn To The Woeful Hearts” is truly an intense journey filled with lush arrangements and killer execution. Over the years Pure Wrath has been improving upon their previous releases so we are quite excited about what comes next, however, for now we can get to enjoy this crushing release on repeat multiple times a day.

Label: Debemur Morti Productions

Release: February 18th, 2022

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal

Country: Indonesia