Wilczyca – Magija

Wilczyca (polish for ‘She-Wolf’) popped up on my radar for the first time two years ago when they released their then third Full-length release – And looking up my own scribble on our website i am fondly reminded of why I was drawn to them in the first place. Back then I described their music as to the point, efficient and heavily entrenched in the Black Metal scene of old, likening them to bands such as Emperor. And while I do still maintain that to be the case, like most artists, their music as also evolved somewhat.

Magija, polish for ‘Magic’ represents the fourth Full-length release of the band. Like its predecessors it seemingly delves deep into themes of anti-christianity (much like their Norwegian counterparts referenced above) but also the concept of misanthropy as a whole. The latter of these I reckon (without speaking the language the album is performed in, mind) to be the most dominant of the two, since the overall approach of their music is, to me, a perfect audio representation of hopelessnes and frustration.

Unlike their previous release, this one is markedly slower, more restrained – But every bit as gritty and distorted. An excellent metaphor for emotional turmoil made manifest, and aimed at the world for it to reflect itself in.

And while I normally am not too fond of bands who stray too far from their roots (I am quite rigid in my mindset in that regard), I do find the evolution throughout Wilczyca’s career quite a good fit for the duos overall vision – Not to mention that they have the artistic talents to back up said vision.

Sadly however, in my personal opinion, the single-most flaw I found with the band the last time they graced my turntable still applies: Coming from a more conservative approach, the eight tracks adding up to almost thirty-five minutes in total does seem a bit short.

But then again, I will commend the band for sticking to their vision and stopping at eight great songs instead of adding a ninth, sub-par cover or similar simply to pad the runtime. If nothing else, at least their repertoire has grown sufficiently over the years for my hunger for Polish Black Metal to be sated merely by digging up one of their older releases and play them in quick succession. Right after I listen to this one again.

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