Yulia Lykhotvor is a Ukrainian musician, and this fact alone, at a time like this, can only distract our thoughts from the music to express our total closeness (regardless of any aseptic political considerations) to those who find themselves having to escape the bombings every day. Spiral Of Life, the second full-length for the one-woman band Sidus Atrum, was obviously composed before the war broke out, but the restlessness and the dramatic cues it contains sometimes seem to be premonitory, though this obviously depends only on Yulia’s strong artistic sensitivity. The opening with Fading Light is emblematic and makes it clear that the work will not lack intensity and above all variety in the stylistic solutions adopted. In fact, if the Sidus Atrum‘s base is a solid black metal, post metal and doom impulses are frequently manifested, giving the sound a well-defined melodic and melancholic trait. Lykhotvor’s vocal style is mainly a harsh scream, while the growl is powerful and up to the task, as well as the tuneful and evocative clean voice; still talking about voices, in the wonderful Rain Brings Your Voice appears none other than Daniel Neagoe to make the atmosphere even more leaden with his inimitable growl. The six songs contained in Spiral Of Life are all equally good, even if Breath Of Agony (of which there is also a fine video), the aforementioned Rain Brings Your Voice and the final Regression, with a magnificent emotional progression, stand out from the other three, but only by a small margin, because the album as a whole is a pleasant surprise that shows the exponential growth of a very talented musician. All that remains is to wish Yulia all the best for her safety, for the inhabitants of her city (Kiev) and, in a broader sense, for all those around the world who are experiencing the drama of war on their skin.

2022 – Kvlt und Kaos Productions