When black metal first burst upon the world it was a movement characterised by invention and a pioneering spirit. However, it didn’t take long for a multitude of imitators to arrive and turn the scene into a generic movement with countless bands who sounded like each other. That’s why it was so refreshing when Ifryt’s debut EP Płuca (reviewed here) landed in my hands, it was an avant-garde release that gave the scene a much needed shot of originality. After a typically surreal split release with Beschatten (Porsche Girl), Ifryt returns with sophomore EP Nudy, a six track affair that should take Ifryt beyond the confines of Poland and garner some global attention.
Based in Źory, Silesia, and formed in 2018, Ifryt’s initial incarnation recorded just one demo before going on hiatus. When the band was reborn four years later it was as a one-man project of the mysterious and enigmatic Kuna. While I did enjoy that sole demo cassette, there’s no doubt that Ifryt benefits from a sole vision and Nudy is delivered with a tight focus. Although billed as an EP, the running time clocks in at twenty-five minutes and the time is used wisely to create vivid (and often unsettling soundscapes). That becomes most apparent on opening track ‘Jod’; with tweeting birds and a light, electronic beat you’d be forgiven for thinking someone had slipped a Pink Floyd or Yes CD into your player. At three minutes long it is just lengthy enough to lull us into a false sense of security before…pow!, we are shaken from our reverie by the musical explosion that is ‘Frustracja seksulana jest źródłem mocy Vril’. ‘Dolina latających żab’ follows, it’s full of buzzsaw guitars and crashing crescendos that suddenly shift in tempo and pitch to constantly reposition the listener, it is very Wagnerian in its manipulation of sonics and is definitely not recommended for somnambulists.
Ifryt is a truly original project, but if I were forced to draw a comparison with another outfit then it would undoubtedly be New York trio Imperial Triumphant. Both have a visionary feel, a desire to defy easy categorisation and a bent that veers towards the surreal. Yet, Ifryt have a more progressive feel and ‘Dziady część VII’ is indicative of this. At almost ten minutes, it is a song of several suites that shows off all facets of Ifryt, but the biggest revelation is Kuna’s vocals which range from the softly spoken to Satanic shrieks via guttural growls and I hope we’ll hear more of that in the future.
A cover of Naked City’s ‘Gob Of Spit’ is true to the original, only insofar as it breaks with convention and makes for an ominous conclusion…but what did you expect from Ifryt?
- Nudy is released via Godz Ov War Productions and is available now (from here).
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Track List:
- Jod
- Frustracja seksulana jest źródłem mocy Vril
- Dolina latających źab
- Dziady część VII
- RIP 1981-2024
- Gob Of Spit
