It’s not a big secret that Finland is a pretty strange country… Sauna rituals, home made hard alcohol with the quality of furniture polish or tons of odd people that don’t talk too much – so much for some of the hackneyed clichés about the land of the thousand lakes. Thus it’s not a big wonder that this country has a band like CHARNEL WINDS. I don’t really know if the strange brew of this band can still be filed under Black Metal or if there should be a new genre like sick insane Black Blues or something like this. At least this description fits a little bit to what can be heard on the second CHARNEL WINDS album “Verschränkung”. Expect the unexpected when you listen to that album and you might get a clue. From the first notes of the opening ‘Devouring The Cursed Fruits Of Tartaros’, I was confused by the bluesy undertone of the slow riffs, that meat guitars in MASTODON style. The following ‘Avitchi Blues’ might be the future definition of the genre Black Metal Blues. I mean – Blues guitars and sick Black Metal vocals on a grooving base with an atmosphere WITCHFYNDE always wanted to create – Now I heard it all! Well, I reckoned, but just when I thought you got a hold on CHARNEL WINDS, another strange idea destroys any illusion of finding a whatever kind of approach to this unique band. Just like the opera styled vocals on ‘Rebellion’ for example. Or the somehow oriental groove in ‘Beyond Null Reality’, one of the most odd songs I heard in the last years. And the final ‘The Heralding’ is even more sick and strange. TOOL grooves meet galloping riffs of the pasty kind, crowned with a vocal duet of ritualised singing and blood coughing voices. In case you like unique stuff, prepare to meet the sick stuff and check out CHARNEL WINDS at www.charnelwinds.com or visit their label at www.facebook.com/feuerpublications