This is a review of another recording from Singapore's Istidraj which showed the music going for a raw and old school form of black metal and the ep was originally released in 2001 and called "Bhinneka Tungall Ika" which was re-issued and re-mastered in 2024.
Harsh soundscapes start off the ep before going into a very fast, raw and brutal direction which also utilizes a great amount of tremolo picking and blast beats. Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams while the music is also very heavily rooted in the second wave era of the genre and all of the musical instruments also have a very powerful sound to them.
A couple of the songs also add in a small amount of slow and mid temp sections keeping the main focus on a faster direction while melodies are also added into some of the guitar riffing along with one song also adding in a brief use of ritualistic sounds and the closing track was recorded live.
On this recording Istidraj went for a very raw and aggressive form of black metal. The production sounds very dark and raw while the lyrics cover Darkness, Blasphemy and Anti Religion themes.
In my opinion this was another great sounding recording from Istidraj and if you are a fan of raw and old school black metal, you should check out this re-issue. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Thy Whisper Of Eternal Shadow" and "Istidraj". 8 out of 10.
https://istidraj666.bandcamp.com/album/bhinneka-tunggal-ika-remastered-2024
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