26/05/2026
⛤ REVIEW ⛤ LUTOMYSL (UA) – Catharsis (12” Vinyl, Album, Reissue, Ltd. Ed.) 2018
If I had to name one musician who sets the bar for Ukrainian black metal, it would be Lutomysl. Every record under his name has pushed the standard higher, and most in the scene are still catching up. "Decadence" is the touchstone here—an album that stands shoulder to shoulder with DUB BUK or LUCIFUGUM at their best, but still sounds like nothing else. "Catharsis" picks up exactly where that left off. The tone, the stripped-back construction, the focus—they all carry through. When the foundation is this solid, repeating yourself is not a flaw. It is the point.
LUTOMYSL operates in that rare space where minimalism feels full. The one-man project approach is obvious — bare, direct, nothing wasted — but here it is a tool, not a limitation. The drum programming is relentless, almost metronomic, but it drives the songs forward instead of flattening them. The melodies are unmistakably Slavic, built from folk phrasing but never slipping into stereotype. "Jet Black Metal Art" is the clearest example: percussion locked into a half-blast, guitar carrying the entire structure, cycling through tremolo lines that sound both inherited and unmistakably personal. Everything else — bass, vocals, drums — exists to serve the guitar. Strip them away and the core would still stand.
The real strength is in the riff writing. LUTOMYSL builds each track from simple, textured patterns that reach back to "Transilvanian Hunger" but are filtered through a Ukrainian sensibility. The melodic instinct is close to "Misyac Pomsty," but there is a romantic streak here that brings to mind the most melodic moments from the French and Italian scenes. You can draw lines to BRANIKALD or FOREST, but LUTOMYSL is not interested in expanding the form—he is interested in refining it. The tremolo riff is the axis, and every song finds a new way to make it count.
Everything in the mix is there for the guitar. The drum programming is stripped to the bone—no fills, no decoration, just a pulse that keeps the songs moving. That simplicity is not a limitation; it is the point. The bass sits low, filling out the bottom without ever stepping forward. The vocals are raw, somewhere between a shout and a shriek, and they define the project as much as the guitar does. The result is music that feels direct, unforced, and honest.
"Catharsis" is proof that black metal built from the simplest elements can still feel vital, even now, when the genre is saturated and the formula has been run into the ground. LUTOMYSL knew exactly what he had and never tried to be anything else. That is rare. It is enough.
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To order: DM or email [email protected]
Black Vinyl, Album, Reissue, 300c Ltd. Ed. Printed Inner Sleeve · Drakkar Productions & Mailorder (Official) · 2018 · Mint
25.00€ — open to offers
Lisbon, Portugal · Ships worldwide
New arrivals every two weeks: https://pulserecords.eo.page/v2xsy