ODIUM HUMANI GENERIS are back with their new EP release, "Zarzewie", released in October of 2022, followed by its 2020 debut full-length release, "Przeddzień" and their demo "Zmora", released in 2018.

The first song I'd like to discuss is the self-titled opening piece "Zarzewie", roughly translated as "Embers", and the longest song on the track listening -with a duration of over eight minutes - which welcomes the listener with a short wall-to-wall drum solo intro -following suit with a surge of instrumental and snarling vocal attack and a raw and aggressive atmosphere upon the listener's ears... hitting the two-minute mark the piece -opts for a clean melodic -yet sorrowfully/motionless (isolated and left with your own-thoughts) instrumental score -but dark and beautiful -before transition back for (last) four minutes of the aggressive and melodic surge of black metal.

The following song I like to discuss is "Skończysz bez imienia", roughly translated as "You will end up without a name", and is the second piece and the shortish piece on the release -with a duration of over four minutes and fifty seconds -which opens with a pale-driver of instrumental and vocal attack of full-on aggression and melodic passages and an atmosphere draped in darkness.

At the same time, as I'm listening and putting my input to the "Zarzewie" article, looking at the band line-up and finding out a few key points within the band lineup and the tragedy lost within the line-up. Their former guitarist of five years (2015-2000), Adam Wołosz, sadly passed away this May of '22, and their drummer Murukh (who has been with the band since 2015) -where these two members are no strangers to me; these two extreme metal musicians were also in another Polish black metal act, FADHEIT only achieved from 2018-2022 and a featured in my own personally webzine blog.

One-way other if you like FADHEIT - you are going like ODIUM HUMANI GENERIS and vice versa.
In my opinion, "Zarzewie" is a solid release and a good amount of devilmanship and musicianship; as soon as the listener hits that play button, where one is welcome to thirty minutes of five tracks -five tracks of pure rawest and a musical spectrum that captures the spirit of 90's black metal with a melodic approach combined with lyrics inked about disappointment with the world, the helplessness and suffering, and the bleak, urban landscape of Łódź. At the same time, and with no surprise for me first hearing those drum strikes, which sounded familiar to me -topped with those raw blackened/aggressive riffage with the touch of melodic flare and snarling vocals, which is all shrouded in an atmosphere of despair and sorrowful.

Yes, this is a black metal from the land of Poland-so don't expect BEHEMOTH or early-MAYHEM/DARKTHRONE - yes, there is an influential flare of these bands within their musical spectrum -but this a band that has created a sound and atmosphere of their own.

So, inhale ODIUM HUMANI GENERIS dark and sorrowful atmosphere and enjoy their musical approach of creating (again) something raw and aggressive -yet metal.