Reviews for Odar's Zavjet Dalekom Snu (
http://www.metal-archives.com)
A big surprise here - 82%
Written by Noktorn on March 13th, 2010
A lot of people who first get into the metal scene are on the lookout for bands from 'weird' countries (in Odar's case, Bosnia/Herzegovina) out of some misguided notion that esoteric locales will produce similarly interesting music. Anyone who's been in the metal scene for long will tell you that the reality tends to be exactly the opposite; bands from less 'known' countries often evidence a massive lack of talent and professionalism, much like most bands from any other given country. This is why Odar's debut is so wonderful; this is probably the first Bosnian release I've reviewed, and it's an extremely strong and professional album that gives much more established and popular artists a run for their money composition, riffcraft, and technical ability. Even non-black metal fans would probably enjoy this; it's exactly the sort of thing which should show up on a midlevel label such as Deathgasm rather than stewing in obscurity.
Odar's style draws from a few different places: Hellenic black metal is a big one due to its intensely melodic leanings, but a certain Mediterranean flair ala a less melodramatic Spite Extreme Wing is present in the slower passages, as is a hint of Graveland here and there with its epic leanings. Odar manages to combine these with a thin, tasteful thread of Bosnian folk, which is so subtle you probably wouldn't even notice it on the first few listens; Korpiklaani this is not. The music here is fairly varied in tempo and execution while still retaining a very solid and stable identity; while some tracks are slower, some are faster, some are more Norwegian while others are Hellenic, it all clearly belongs to the same set of musicians working within the same general musical framework. Now, consistency in this manner is only useful when the music is strong, but in Odar's case there's no trouble there. The riffs on this are quite strong and triumphant, bolstered by a tasteful and articulate drum performance and a harsh midranged snarl for vocals. Odar knows when to vary a riff through different rhythms and presentations and also when to drop one an assault with a new melodic passage, making this a wonderfully paced album in a scene where pacing and composition seems to be getting weaker by the day.
The music here is overall fairly simple, but the simple elements are used extremely well to portray multifaceted and varied compositions. Odar's interchanges between riffs are stellar, sometimes echoed by the drums for dramatic effect or not for a more gradual, textured shift in mood, and while the riffs themselves could use just a little more variation in melodic style, they're so strong it's more of a nitpick than a real flaw. Surprisingly, the production on this release is quite good; it's surely not Nuclear Blast standards, but the low-end is full (with a very audible bass guitar, I might add) and strong midrange guitar tone with vocals holding down the higher end; the instruments are separate enough to let you know exactly what's going on at any moment but not so much that they are working in their own little worlds. It's similar to the construction of the music itself; every member of the band is working somewhat independently, but they are together enough to provide a united front for the listener's pleasure.
Odar's debut album is a very strong release from a wholly unknown scene that makes me want to investigate some other Bosnian artists. The professionalism and logical construction of this release would probably snare some of those who don't typically enjoy black metal; all in all, this band deserves much more attention and support than they currently receive from the international metal scene. I highly recommend 'Zavjet Dalekom Snu' to all black metal fans and eagerly anticipate a follow-up from these warriors.
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