What a coincidence that I discovered a band that sounds just like Hate Forest shortly after I reviewed their latest album. Perkwunos is the creation of Adrian Brachmann, who formed several one-man bands before this. Their first demo, Stelae, was released back in February of this year. Hate Forest wrote many songs about the Scythians, an ancient group of Indo-Europeans. Perkwunos goes back even farther than that. They are named after the weather god of the Proto-Indo-Europeans. The name Perkwunos literally means “Master of Oaks”. Such tall trees are regularly struck by lightning, so he was also regarded as a thunder god who casted bolts of lightning from his magic hammer. It is from him that we get pagan gods such as Perun and Thor.
This band sounds so much like Hate Forest that a less informed listener would assume they were one and the same. I don’t really have a problem with this, firstly because imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and secondly because Adrian Brachmann proves himself to be a talented musician. The production has that distinct raw, abrasive sound. It’s just clear enough to let all the instruments be heard and just cloudy and distorted enough to create a cold atmosphere. The drums, which I assume are programmed judging by their sound, prioritize simple, unapologetic carnage. They play an almost constant onslaught of stripped-down blast beats, but there are a few moments when they slow things down and play rhythms that prioritize thoughtful cymbal work.
Adrian’s hoarse growls are grim and vicious, an almost perfect copy of Roman Saenko. There are also moments where he performs raspy screams that are layered on top of the growls and make the music sound even more unsettling. The guitar work is superb. The tremolo riffs are structured and tuned in such a way that they would sound right at home on any Hate Forest album. They’re dark, ferocious, and bring to mind images of battles from the distant past, before written history, in the time of myth and legend. On occasion, they include bits of melody to make the music more dynamic and intriguing. The most memorable one for me was the one near the end of “God of Rage”.
I’m honestly surprised more bands aren’t copying Hate Forest. Their style is one that exudes ancient fury from the cold steppes, and Perkwunos copied it perfectly. It will be interesting to see what Adrian Brachmann will do with this formula on future releases. Judging by the quality of this demo, I believe it will be incredible.