Curse Upon A Prayer - The Three Woes EP

Woe to all (on the day of Their wrath).

(Originally submitted to the Metal Archives on December 26th 2021) 

Finland, despite its substantial extreme metal output during the 90s, has always been neglected by most people in favour of their other 2 Scandinavian neighbours. But anyone who is well versed in the genre knows that the Finns put out some of the most unique extreme metal releases of the 90s. Whether it’d be death or black metal, there was always a distinct flavour to anything that originated from there that couldn’t be found anywhere else.

In recent years though, the home of vodka and people who socially distanced before Covid has seen quite a bit of recognition, which has led to the region enjoying a lot of attention from metal fans. Said attention also led to the scene being rejuvenated and becoming more active than it was in the 90s, with many new bands springing up alongside the old guard. One of these newcomers is Curse Upon A Prayer, whose The Three Woes EP serves as a great introduction to one of the strongest new bands to come out of the country.
On a base level, one can definitely draw some comparisons to older bands in the scene. The feral tremolo riffs and raspy vocals definitely bring to mind bands like Azaghal and Behexen. What really makes these guys stand out though is their tendency to slow down and let things breathe. There’s a distinct emphasis on atmosphere and more minimalist compositions that you don’t often see black metal bands from there engage in. The more long winded tracks here, “Thou Shalt be Cursed” and “Woe! Woe! Woe!” perfectly flow through fast and slow segments, resulting in a very varied and dense experience, despite the EPs 18 minute runtime. The latter of the two in particular is the best track here, with its furious tremolo riffs crashing into these monolithic, desolate sections. It’s an apocalyptic closer for this release, wrapping up the entire experience in a very final and satisfying way.
The production here is all around solid, striking a balance between not being too raw or too sterile. The guitars sound frosty and sharp, while the drums have a surprisingly crisp sound, with the snare in particular cutting through the mix. The bass is sadly quite low in the mix and only appears during the slower moments here, and even then it doesn’t have much of a presence. It’s one of the few gripes I’ve had with this release that I feel drag it down a little.
The other is the opening track, “Let Thy Kingdom Come”. It’s the shortest track here and it sticks out due to being dwarfed by the tracks that follow it, both in length and in quality. The song could’ve definitely used some more development that’d help it stand out more. While part of me sees it as more of a tone setter for the other two tracks, I would’ve preferred seeing it expanded, because there are a lot of ideas that simply aren’t given enough breathing room.
The Three Woes is a surprisingly impressive EP from a relative newcomer to the metal world. It has a few shortcomings, but nothing that can’t be remedied in the context of a full-length release. It’s a reminder of how strong the Finnish scene can be, and anyone who hasn’t been paying attention so far ought to start doing so. It’s never too late to indulge yourself in the obscure depths of the best metal scene in the world.
Highlight: Woe! Woe! Woe!

Rating: 82% 

 

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