Sunchariot are a solo-project by former Svetovid-member C.R.G., located in San Francisco, California. After two demos, Sunchariot signed to Winter Solace Productions, with Warrior Of The Winds as first result, followed by Swirling Sunwheel Of Eternal Life via Werewolf Promotion. It’s the first of these two records that this review deals with.
Warrior Of The Winds was recorded at the Brotherhood Of Light Compound in 2012, and it consists of nine tracks with a total running time of fifty seven minutes. It brings lo-fi material of hi-fi quality. The album stands for a very melodic and atmospheric, little melancholic yet at the same time extremely foul Underground Black Metal. The material keeps the flame of the Underground burning for a couple of reasons: the performance, the song writing, and the sound. When it comes to the latter, one might have some second thoughts. And indeed, the final result of the production is not that optimum at all. I did mention it a thousand times before: a clinical sound sickens this kind of Aural Supremacy. But there’s a limit in between acceptable primitivism (in production, not in performance!) and insulting under-production. This album balances on the frail border in between both. Each single composition, for example, has another ‘final sound’, and it might (read: it will) disturb several amongst you. So be careful. I for myself do not mind that much, but it does influence the cohesion, unfortunately. Anyway, let’s forget the production quality, and go over to the essence of the execution, because this too needs some explanation. Sunchariot do what many bands did twenty years ago, and they do it with persuasion and craftsmanship. Once again, it means a lack of originality, but once again I will continue with: so what the f*ck?! No further comment about ‘to be or not to be original’, because that’s a waste of time. No, seriously, this collection of blackened noizz sounds repetitive, primitive and nihilistic, yet oh so pure and truly from the core. This is the essence of Black Metal (or at least one of the forms it might take), and it sounds oh so fine. The tempo is pretty intensive, the rhythms are fast-forward and merciless, but a couple of weird intermezzos act like a refreshing (ugh, you know what I mean) counter-balance. The schizoid rawness fits perfect to the gloomy atmosphere. I also need to add the (slightly weird) contradiction in between two extremes (with exception of the intermezzos), namely the dry, repetitive and purely-nihilistic grimness versus pieces of dissonant intensification. …and with some excerpts of melody in between (imagine me now adding a smiley…).