Releasedate: 01-05-2025
Label: Ashen Tree Records
The Belarusian band Matraque caught my attention for several reasons.
Firstly, an important detail was the musical direction they adhere to – the official page of the band describes them as Sludge/Doom/Primitive Death – not the most common style in Belarus, in general. And, last but not least – the cover design in the vanitas style, intended to remind everyone of the frailty of human life, the futility of pleasures and the fleeting nature of material goods.
The opening track, Kola (i.e. “Circle”), plunges the listener from the very first second into a viscous damp darkness. A song of doom, of lethargic detachment from which one can awake only to feel the even more piercing pain of anguish, when reality is no less frightening and hopeless than numbness.
The second piece, Pustazelle (i.e. “Weeds”, literal translation from Belarusian – “useless herbs” – something that grows on abandoned lands), continues the story of misery, of a life that is more like a rotting swamp, of the inability to change anything with one’s own efforts. The only way to exist is to wait until the full cycle of transformation is completed and flowers grow in place of the putrid wastes.
The third track, Malimon, is a short interlude, atmospheric and eerie. In Belarusian mythology, Malimon is a dreadful monster fish living in the subterranean ocean. Once every seven years it comes to the surface and goes back underground, causing severe floods and droughts. Primordial, personified chthonic essence, something as ancient as nature itself, capable of both giving life and destroying.
Volya symbolizes a call to escape from a toxic slumber. The title of the song can be translated as both “Will” and “Freedom”, and through the desperate sonic mayhem the idea is expressed: only by an effort of will can one step by step approach freedom from stagnation.
The closing track, Pry`py`nak (i.e. “Standstill”) is an epilogue that, however, doesn’t offer any peace. The chaos, destruction and suspense seem to mount even more as the album draws to a close.
The album Nature Morte is highly recommended for listening to those who have bands like Body Void and Primitive Man regularly appearing in their playlist. Definitely a massive and crushing sound from the abyss of human subconsciousness.
Line up:
- Evgeniy S. – Bass
- Anton M. – Drums
- Vlad B. – Guitars
- Alexander G. – Vocals, Synthesizers
Tracklist
- Kola
- Pustazelle
- Malimon
- Volya
- Pry`py`nak