These Slovenian ladies are Sabbath maidens through and through…
Review by Paul Castles
Release date: 8 May 2015
Even the most cursory of contacts with the new Mist EP tells you that these Slovenian ladies are Sabbath maidens through and through. The female dominated doom outfit came together three years ago and while the Ozzy spirit is truly alive and kicking here, inspiration is also drawn from such staple doom merchants as Pentagram, Candlemass and Saint Vitus. Inan has had a couple of previous airings although this repackaged offering, courtesy of Soulseller, elevates Mist to a slightly higher plain, also reflecting the interest generated by the Slovenians so far.
Female-fronted doom acts are not difficult to track down at the moment although an essentially all-girl doom line-up is an interesting proposition. Blaz Tansek is the latest addition to the line-up – and the sole fella – but I think it’s safe to suggest that Mist are a band where the Ljubljana ladies call the shots. While happy to dabble in the corrosive and crusty orifices of the occult, musically Mist are more Blood Ceremony than Jex Thoth. The four tracks here have an assertive swagger that forms an instant connection.
The opening title track is launched by Nina Spruk’s agonized wail of ‘I am deaf, I am blind’ before the thud kicks in with a riff that triggers more bounce than a giant inflatable castle at a kids’ birthday bash. The track proceeds to weave some pretty patterns which although not the heaviest still draw you into their darkened lair. ‘Frozen Velvet’ is the longest of the four songs and opens in contemplative mood before steadily awakening with some Sabbath surges right down to the eerie clanging church bell. Nina’s crisply delivered vocal strokes paint a bleak funereal tale ensuring the atmosphere remains simultaneously beleaguered and bleak.
Energy levels climb on ‘Under the Night Sky’, another introspective track, with a caressing melody helping to deconstruct the wall of doom. At one point the vocals dart in from other directions conjuring visions of witches babbling around a bubbling cauldron. The final slab of Slovenian misery is ‘Phobia’ an earlier piece by Mist that lacks a little of the darkness and depth of the previous three numbers. Collectively though this EP is a good starting point from which to peer into the Mist. Chances are you’ll like what you see.
7 out of 10
Track listing:
- Inan
- Frozen Velvet
- Under The Night Sky
- Phobia
