Polish Pagan Black Metal Group VARMIA Unveils Hypnotic 'bielmo' Music Video
New album 'bal Lada' to be released in Spring 2021
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Polish pagan alchemists group VARMIA – who pay tribute to their Baltic roots by combining black metal with traditional instruments such as the goat horn and the tagelharpa – has unleashed a music video for their new song “bielmo." The track is a preview of things to come on the band's third album, “bal Lada,” which will be released by M-Theory Audio in Spring 2021.
"'Bielmo' means cataract or leukoma,” explains band founder Lasota. “Ancients say that the blind one sees more. It's the gifted one. And so, we cry to be blind to the lights, to the distracting glimmer. Let the sight turn inwards. This is the first song after the invocation that opens the album. The middle section invokes a northern wind. Walk into it and let your blood freeze and consciousness soar high."
VARMIA was formed in 2016 by vocalist/guitarist/composer Lasota with a mission of fusing black metal with musical influences that pay tribute to the ancient Baltic tribes of the historical Warmia region of northern Poland. Vocally, harsh growls shroud the band's music and native Polish lyrics in a visceral aura, the only breaks occurring when using the traditional, ancient technique of “whitevoice” clean singing as utilized during ancient East-Central European rituals, rites of passage and festivals. Meanwhile, the power of the band's metal influences are enhanced on “bal Lada” by traditional ethnic instrumentation of the Baltic Rites via sounds of tagelharpa, goat horn, wood tuba and krivula. The final result is a compelling mix of dark metallic sounds that channel the spirit of early Enslaved, Satyricon and Wolves in the Throne Room and folk elements that drive acts such as Wardruna.
VARMIA has released two albums to date – 2017's “Z mar twych” and 2018's “W ciele nie.” The group records all of their music in culturally significant remote locations throughout their native Poland, and “bal Lada” continues that practice, as the 10 tracks of ominous and atmospheric pagan black metal contained within were tracked in a makeshift studio set up by the band in an old 19th-century manor in Northern Poland, where they performed while playing together as a live unit with no sound editing. A video documenting the album's recording can be seen at this location:
https://youtu.be/o9DnynINIo8
With the forthcoming release of “bal Lada,” M-Theory Audio is set to spread the band's native sounds to a worldwide audience. Says Lasota, “With two releases so far, VARMIA has shouted out the voice of our land mainly on the Polish soil – the voice of disquiet, passion and agitation. It is now time to hear it echo throughout the whole world. VARMIA still has many stories to tell, and we are very excited to work with such well-respected people from overseas. We have many spirits yet to summon.”
