Album Review: Snøgg – Chhinnamasta (Self Released)

Crawling out of Velenje in the late 2013, Slovenian black metal duo Snøgg embodies a perpetual experimental journey through the otherworldly creative thoughts. Their self-categorized style “Freeride Black Metal” incorporates various dark, extreme and unusual sonic elements.

After churning out a demo and three short releases, the ever surprising Snøgg is ready to deliver the fifth offering and the first full length, Chhinnamasta. Out on the 6th June 2019.

Chinnamasta is the Hindu goddess who cut her own head to control her lust. The album does not include any original Hindu story about the self-decapitated nude goddess, merely portrays the band members’ vision of what Chhinnamasta represents, focusing on the problems of ever-repeating life circles that try to direct us on the wrong path by manipulating and enslaving us. However, the band borrowed ideas from other religions and stories outside Hinduism to illustrate Chhinnamasta.

Unconventional black metal, Snøgg’s Chinnamasta might only be five tracks long but it more than makes up for that with lengthy tomes of heaviness and a surprising amount of flair. For starters, the album has way more riffs than you might expect to find on a traditional black metal release. Snøgg certainly buck traditions and end up producing an interesting release.

While rolling with the kind of vocals you would expect on a black metal release, the strength lies in the guitars. Turning what could be run of the mill heaviness into fascinatingly layered music. All while retaining elements of the more brutalising nature of the core sound.

Y’ (Ddraig Goch) showcases all of this and more in a near 9 minute stretch of music. The same can be said for Stream of Blood and Phantom Mountain, though the former is far darker and evil. Whereas the latter is all about the punishing drum beat and dirty guitar groove.

Sandwiched in between them is shorter track by the name of Void of Valor which is about 6 minutes of eerie effects and noise. Barely registering at first, it’s far too long for what it is.

Finally we have Fear Beyond Death, Snøgg’s best effort on this release. Giving us an absolute head-banger of hard-hitting drums, wild riffing and savage vocals. It’s impossibly addictive to listen too while also powerful enough to shake you to your core. It’s just a shame that it pretty much wraps up near the 6 minute mark giving us a couple more minutes of brief melody before uncomfortable and cold effects close things out.

Snøgg – Chinnamasta Full Track Listing:

1. Y’ (Ddraig Goch)
2. Stream of Blood
3. Void of Valor
4. Phantom Mountain
5. Fear Beyond Death

The album can be ordered now over on Bandcamp and more info found over on Facebook.