The debut of Polish band Tankograd is under the banner of a harsh doom, essential and not very prone to atmospheric flutters that are ill-suited to ever-hostile themes such as those pertaining to war. The tales of a warlike nature proposed by the Warsaw band are aimed at exhibiting the darker and even bleak face of conflicts, nothing therefore to do with the narration of heroic deeds or epic battles. The singing, always in the native language, with the exception of Arkhangelsk, is by no means monotone but tries to be expressive at every juncture, and to do this Herr Feldgrau adopts a style that ranges from clean to not even too harsh; such a good variety is closely related to the course of the work, which maintains a darkness only tinged with melancholy, however far from too extreme drifts with the band preferring to let the sound flow as obsessively as linear, without disdaining solo openings of good workmanship (Żelazne trumny). Considering also that doom is certainly not the most developed genre in Polish lands, Totalitarian is in its own way a surprising work in terms of quality, conviction and a not so obvious interpretation (indeed, just wanting to look for a term of comparison, in the first instance the great KYPCK come to mind, but Tankograd pursue a poetics all their own). These four Poles creep with their sound into our imagination almost by stealth, and what at first listen may seem to be just another doom record, in the long run keeps buzzing in our heads in the form of melodic glimpses and excellent band insights-a good reason to pay attention to a truly intriguing work.

2019 – Godz ov War Productions