LOST SOUL

What's the use of tormenting a lost soul — just another curse upon a troubled head... Having embarked on their creative journey back in 1991, this Polish band chose the path of wandering: through death metal trails and brutal thickets, the musicians steered their "deadly" battleship. They steered it toward the distant land of "Chaostream." Behind them lay the stone ridges of "Superior Ignotum," the underwater labyrinths of "Scream Of The Mourning Star" and "Ubermensch (Death Of God)." Twice the cold Baltic wind tore away the banners flying from their masts. First, the hard-won colors of Relapse. Then, the cobwebbed embroidery of the Osmose Empire loyalists... Finally, after many Scyllas and many Charybdises, here it is — a calm channel. A warm chaotic Gulf Stream... I must admit, after the thoroughly unimpressive "Ubermensch," the new disc from the Polish occult masters seemed far more appetizing. Remaining within the strict framework of the Polish school, "Chaostream" demonstrates a natural evolution of the band's style — the parts have gained simultaneously in heaviness and melodicism, and the compositions have become noticeably more diverse. Speaking of the artwork, the screaming blood-red garb of the previous album has been replaced by the rusty ash of infernal back alleys. The lyrical foundation remains the same — a fierce religious rebellion, employing all available tools and machinery (which incidentally brings to mind the mechanical staccato riff in "Godstate"). All of this, permeated with a special mysticism, recalls the MORBID ANGEL madness that developed after the release of "Formulas Fatal To The Flesh." Perhaps it's the special enzymes and bruto-bacteria that Earache adds to the feed of their charges, boosting the influx of musical testosterone. One way or another, they have matured. With renewed force they've struck the guitars, scattering blast-beat salvos that shake through the speakers, generating a resonating echo. All that remains is to await further progress and brilliant albums.