If you’ve heard Poccolus before, and I do mean actually heard them, then it’s probably safe to say you’re either lying or just darn lucky. Often referred to as the first black metal band from Lithuania, 'Poccolus' was originally released on a small South Korean label in 1996 where it quickly went out of print. Three years ago Supernal Music from England unearthed this long forgotten gem with new artwork, a 16-page leather-textured booklet containing lyrics in both Lithuanian and English translations and the music on a gold disc.
Completely ahead in terms of diversity and experimentation, imagine something like Emperor’s ‘In The Nightside Eclipse,’ Burzum’s ‘Hvis lyset tar oss,’and Nokturnal Mortum’s ‘Lunar Poetry’ all mixed together and you’ll be close to understanding this album. It is essentially mid-paced highly melodic black metal with ample keyboard usage, acoustic guitars, and Baltic folk influences. The music can be epic sounding at one point, sinister at the next, and dark and melancholic sounding completely out of the blue.
The band was essentially the project Ramûnas who handled all guitars, keyboards and vocal duties while two others provided drums and bass. Ramûnas had a very Burzum-ish vocal style, but somehow managed to sound like he was in even more agony than Varg. He also often times used a spoken voice and this weird creepy howl on this record, which is referred to as his wolf's howl. His keyboard and guitar work was also exceedingly impressive, being very melodic and full of character throughout the entire experience.
Truly a gem, a hidden treasure, and possibly one of the best black metal albums ever - Supernal presents us with a unique chance to hear this album. If anything I’ve described above sounds interesting to you then make sure to get your hands on a copy of this stunning classic before it disappears for good.
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