Pure Wrath hails from Indonesia. It's the one-man black metal band of Januaryo "Ryo" Hardy. According to his Metal Archives page, he has been involved in many local technical/brutal death bands from the country.
Hymn to the Woeful Hearts was released in 2022 and is the 3rd album. Ryo is assisted by guest musicians: Yuri Kononov on drums (who used to play with White Ward), Dice Midyanti on piano and cello, and Nick Kushnir as an additional guitar for the track "Hymn to the Woeful Heart".
We have a nicely produced atmospheric black metal record here, on the melodic side, I would say, with a wide range of nuances and small details to dig into. The album is 44 minutes long, with 6 songs (including a 3m outro). On average, songs are 7 minutes long, giving the listener time to soak in the range of feelings: melancholy, rage, and sorrow, while staying very engaged with the music. This album does not fall into the trap of becoming boring and repetitive. Fans of Wolves In The Throne Room will be pleased.
Most songs deal with the Indonesian mass killings of 1965-66 in the name of "so-called nationalism." They tell the story of a mother and her fifty years of life following her son's kidnapping, torture, and ultimate beheading. It's not the lighter topic, indeed.
After a short classical intro, the opening track, "The Cloak Of Disquiet," brings you straight to the point, with a typical black metal atmosphere with suffocating and lamentation vocals and sharpened riffs suffocation.
"Presages from a Restless Soul" continues to push the listener one level higher within this poor mother's downward spiral of bleakness and despair, with harsher vocals yet melodic, almost progressive riffs.
"Footprint of the Lost Child" brings a twist: the intense, raw sound, a crushing beginning switches to cleaner vocals and a slower, lighter shoegaze, very Alcest-y vibe.
I said it earlier: the album goes very quickly and keeps the listener engaged. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it so much. You're up for a treat if you enjoy black metal and its melancholic side.
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