Review: Slowenya ‘Exhaler/Be Empowering’ EP
With the eruption and subsequent abundance of doom bands pursuing an even lower-end tone, Slowenya have arrived on the scene over the past eighteen months. Emanating from Turku on the west coast of Finland in the spring of 2020, the musical trio provide an alternative take with a radiant and immersive ambient experience.
Slowenya captivates something both in this release, and their debut Somer, to warrant the listener becoming absorbed by their content and subsumed by their concept. Slowenya are the perfect blend of blistering heaviness meets blissful ambience. Despite their obvious down tuning, the music is not as much metal, or even drone, as it is metal inspired ambience. Like a hybrid of My Bloody Valentine meets an early and heavier version of the legendary Justin K Broadrick fronted Jesu as the progressions are sweeping and majestic.
Guitarist and vocalist Jan Trygg, drummer Timo Niskala, and bassist Tapani Levanto have struck a fascinating, exciting, and encircling series of releases and their Exhaler/Be Empowering EP expands even more fully than on Somer.
Embrace Slowenya as they truly are an all-encompassing ambient slow metal fantasy…
On the two tracks provided on this new EP, the band are doing what Mare did 15 years ago by creating a unique delivery of delicate beauty encapsulating within the delivery mechanism of heavy guitars. However, guitars are not the payload, merely the vessel that support the driving ambient tones that guide this glacial and monolithic tone. As such, the music of Slowenya contains a delicate inner beauty that can only be the transcript of true ambient music.
The entwined release artwork is a clean and mesmerising visual and creates a vivid and attractive aesthetic. These tracks would be perfect for the physical medium.
Every so often something comes along that is not perfect for everyone, but perfect for the individual. As such, it’s been a humbling experience and honour to review this recent release. Embrace Slowenya as they truly are an all-encompassing ambient slow metal fantasy.
Label: Karhuvaltio Records
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
Scribed by: Francisco Javier
