I love these guys, I honestly do. Perhaps this is not so much for their music, but for what they represent. Black metal is one of very few metal genres I for some reason can’t stand (with a few exceptions), and these guys making a shift somewhere in 2011, from black metal into something that resembles disco pop with a few guitar-y sounds thrown in, symbolize that most vital of musical movements. Namely the (slightly sarcastically titled) “Black Metal Combat”, aiming to replace the satanic darkness of black metal with, well... love.

With their one track single Discolove, Semargl aim to display the vocal prowess of Irina Vasilenko, at the time of release recently brought to the fold. The video made for the song, while fun, focuses a bit too much on the attributes of the female posterior for my liking, but the fact remains that Vasilenko has one hell of a set of vocal chords and she really does make this track stand out. I for one would like to hear her venture into the realm of some European power metal, because she clearly has the talent. For those who refuse to listen to this type of music, she’s also made some far more metallic tunes with Mysterya.

Some guitars have been added under the electronically induced beat, but do in fact add an ever so small level of heaviness, that mostly just works for charm value. All in all, long time guitarist Alexey Romanchenko doesn’t really have a lot to do, but whatever works for him, I guess. Previous vocalist Rutarp, now mostly handling keyboards takes care most of the song’s melodies, as there are a few instrumental passages to dance to. The chorus, big sounding and with a triumphant Vasilenko proclaiming her heart is burning, is the highlight of the song, and it really does work. I’ll probably never be a fan of their music, either the early albums or the more recent. However since if you’re a black metal fan you’ll likely hate this with a passion, this is fucking glorious.

Read the review on the Metal Archives