Οδυσσέας πένθος — Demystified of unreal symbolism and trampled by coldest representations of history’s meaning applied to the present, the ominous hallucinogenic crawl of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina-based black metal quartet Izrod along the stygian expanse does not plainly succeed the spiritus of its dead second gen ancestral form but rewires its ambitions towards a more sophisticate line. A debut on paper but a third full-length from a long-established crew in spirited mannerism ‘Sarajevski Odisej‘ isn’t expressly avant-garde per the realm of black metal so much as it is uniquely romanticist in its unheard-of voice, an intense yet rarely erratic reading which surprises and even presents a few challenges along the way.

Izrod technically first formed as a brief non-starter back in 2015 but officially united as successor to Void Prayer circa 2020 as that version of the band called it quits before fulfilling their obligations through ~2022. To further complicate things for folks who aren’t up to speed with The Bosnian Black Plague Circle of artists some of those same folks reinstated the pre-Void Prayer project Cave Ritual (which’d formed prior to ~2012) in 2020 as well. The simplest way to approach this record with some sort of stylistic precedence is to grab their previous band’s most recent full-length ‘The Grandiose Return to the Void‘ (2020) as we find clear precedence for the guitar work on ‘Sarajevski Odisej‘ by way of guitarist H.P. (Arjen, et al.) who has a distinctly tuneful, dream-like rock and elite black metal influenced style which is imprecise, often dissonant in its otherwise memorable phrases. What feels most new here is a certain ‘epic’ stance, an always upwards-reeling and determined movement to each piece which might reasonably be likened to newer generations of orthodox black metal (Shrine of Insanabilis, Misþyrming) but I’d just as well throw in some of the raw speed/heavy metal you’ll find in earlier Malokarpatan (see: “Crno srce grmi bijesnoas”) as well as the lesser abstract traits of the Polish black metal avant-garde for a more complete approximation of effect.

The first glimpse we’d gotten of this unique approach would be a rehearsal recording (‘19​-​07​-​2021 (rehearsal)‘, 2022) which’d essentially mapped out the flow and function of the full LP but still stalled at a ~70% complete state. Today this allows for a closer look at some of the unfinished rhythms before they’d received final polish and with much of the vocal performances incomplete in their full cadence and layering. Though I’m not sure it was their intent there is the sense that Izrod had ‘shown their work’ on that rehearsal, opened the more dedicated fan’s ear to their inner workings and because of this I spent some extra time making direct comparisons to the formative versions of certain pieces as a way to gauge the level of insight applied between mid-2021 and the digital self-release of the album in early 2023. ‘Sarajevski Odisej‘ received at least a year and a half of refinement beyond its already solid enough state before releasing digitally back in April (this year), with this in mind their work on this debut is likely as original and inspired as it is because of this and it certainly calls for the physical release, the main subject of this review.

You won’t find a ton of coherent criticism or, any particularly meaningful writing about Void Prayer‘s work on the internet for the sake of the lineage of these folks’ work (generally speaking) being multiflorous in its development, bearing many flowering heads which grow from a distinctly raw black metal neck with some roots in atmospheric and classicist forms. Izrod is by comparison somewhat more “accessible” with catchier and even more engaging guitar work, plenty of showmanship which had evolved over the course of a decade (under the previous name) for the sake of creating the sprawling, menacing and dynamic pieces within, such as “Prokleto gorje”, which kickstarts the record with an instantly transfixing, non-linear path to follow; How to describe the moment-to-moment effect of the full listen? Surreal most of the time in terms of presentation and pacing, unpredictable within the space of each ~7-10 minute song as the band develop confrontational surges of energy, weird rocking breaks and anthemic-yet-demented guitar runs. The pieces which approach the ~9-10 minute range (“Siva smrt”, “Prokleto gorje”) are naturally the most immersive and not so much for the indoctrination inherent to time spent engaged but for the possibilities which open up at a slower and more elaborate pace, these were the most memorable sections of the full listen.

Not triumphal but tunefully abstract and menacing. — The main reason I’d given ‘Sarajevski Odisej‘ a second glance in the first place beyond the grey-skied allure of the cover, the scathing atmospheric recording, and the matured unique voice of the band is the guitar work. Every aspect of Izrod‘s undertaking here is transcendent, standing tall with an eerie all their own and this does ultimately come down to a very strong rhythm section which the listener will admire after coming down from the absolute, inarguable high that the two guitarists create as they push beyond the boundaries of their past work. We get more of the screaming rock solos heard up front on “Prokleto gorje” than expected throughout the full listen, an admirable early 90’s worthy spectacle as they bring rooting context to the oft abstract shapeliness of certain pieces (“Sarajevski Odisej”) but this is just one touch of many which keep the full listen captivating, immersive in its thousand-swerving ideas that’ve somehow been stitched together into an ‘epic’ black metal read all their own.

If my thoughts appear somewhat jumbled, distracted away from specifics and struggling to reasonably contain and express exactly what it is that Izrod do, that sensation would be a fair representation of how distinct their debut album is, how it continues to hit me, and suggests the core difficulty of properly representing ‘Sarajevski Odisej‘ as one singular experience (beyond: “black metal”). We could at least consider it a guitar album, a finest underground black metal standard upheld in terms of presenting a unique blurring touch upon an ancient black metal verve which likewise minds and includes the rhythm section across the board. The unusual ratio of forms included is their own and deserves some praise for not sounding anything else I’ve dug into these last few years. A high recommendation.

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