Zavorash - Nihilistic Ascension & Spiritual Death (2006)

Originally intended to be released in early 2004 via Niklas Kvarforth's now defunct label, Selbstmord Services, 'Nihilistic Ascension & Spiritual Death' didn't see the dark of night until mid-2006 when Total Holocaust Records finally released it. In an odd twist of fate I actually heard this album roughly three years before its final release. How is that so? Well, back in mid-2003 I had somehow come into contact with Zavorash vocalist Totalscorn (I knew him as Max though). I suspect Niklas had referred him to LH back then since I'd spoken to him a few times, but regardless me and Totalscorn had struck up a mutual internet friendship and that somehow lead to him sending me a CDr of this album (I was later told his bandmates were pissed about this) as well as doing an interview shortly thereafter.

By the time the album was released I believe Zavorash was more or less a done deal too. Totalscorn had moved onto IXXI, Necromorbus continued one of his million projects and I guess guitarist Nil and bassist Gideon just quit music. Nevertheless, its quite a decent album, which probably would have made a bigger splash had it been released shortly after its original creation.

Zavorash stands for, "Za Vorbashtar Raz Shapog," which means The Legion of Revenge translated from the Black Speech of Mordor, a language Totalscorn told me he'd mastered at some point in his life. Despite that connection, this is hardly Hobbit metal, but rather Nihilistic and cold black metal from Stockholm, Sweden.

'The Legion of Vengeance' opens the album in a mid to speedy pace with something of a thrashy undercurrent coming out of the catchy trebly guitars, though midway through a bit of dirge-ish part appears before moving into a purely dark ambient outro. 'Never Blame Her' is full on blasting from the start, cold grim and violent, though again has tidbits of somewhat melodic territory, while 'Isolation Icon and the Blackguard' is considerably slower and doesn't sound entirely different from depressive black metal of the time, Shining or Forgotten Tomb as examples. 'Själslig slutsats' again shifts the tempo quite a bit and brings back the catchy blackened thrash style of the opening track, whereas 'Worthlessness' is a simple but effective neo classical ambient piece.

'Virtuous Hatred' is another blistering fast full on black metal piece with fantastically bleak and menacing riffs, while the remaining three songs are not entirely different, though 'The Conjuration of the Dead God' and 'Truth & Consequence' have some slower and slightly melodic parts to be found.

The CDr Totalscorn sent me actually had three additional songs, two of which were fairly similar, while the final one was a complete oddity. I guess it was meant to be a joke and it wasn't meant to be on the actual album, but Totalscorn included this bizarre techno track he'd created with his own outlandish narration. When I originally reviewed it I made a special mentioning of this and more than likely doomed the band right then and there. I also have a funny memory of being completely stoned one afternoon and leaving this entire track on my buddies answering machine. He wasn't pleased. Ask me to play you it sometime. Totalscorn was a genius.

Musically Zavorash wasn't that unique or different from many of their Swedish contemporaries, often moving between blasting parts and depressive slower sections, but what made them absolutely unique was Totalscorn's vocals. He sang his lyrics in a croaking sort of Abbath-ish froggy tone while occasionally offering spoken parts and cleaner verses. The spoken and cleaner parts were interesting since he'd often use a variety of voices, which never really made it sound like the same person, but I suppose if you have any experience with IXXI you'll have an idea of what its like. His lyrics were quite detailed and unfolded as intellectual hate sermons often with themes around nihilism and various short comings of humanity. He even sent me a PDF file of all of them back then. You bet his bandmates were pissed.

'Nihilistic Ascension & Spiritual Death' is by no means a must hear recording, but I'm sure several copies of it are still floating around out there in some distro and are probably available for less than $10 too. If you happen to come across it give these guys a chance, because no one really ever did. With the music being decent enough, loud and properly produced and with great words to go with the album I'd say its worth forty four minutes of your time.