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Polish two-piece Wędrujący Wiatr are an atmospheric Black Metal band which I had previously never heard of and somehow caught wind of within the last month or two with the release of this album, entitled Zorzysta staje oćma. Now this is quite the musical journey. There is much on offer here, not to mention the packaging of the album includes a 52-page booklet that is filled with imagery that supplements the story and themes of the album. One could not say this band did not put enormous efforts into this release.

I will admit that I was slightly annoyed the first two playthroughs while listening to this album. Right away I acknowledged that it was full of beautiful soundscapes and a lush production which made it a very accessible yet intriguing experience. However, four out of the seven tracks here extend well above the ten-minute mark, which was a big hump to get over at the start. Fast forward a few spins of the whole album later and I just do not want to put this record down.

There is a story told in this album, which I did not personally follow too much, partly because I did not quickly grasp the story. This band is deeply themed in nature as well as European folklore, and I especially noticed the influence of nature on this album sonically, as there are various soundscapes and animal calls to be heard throughout the experience. The attention to detail really stands out about this record in every aspect.

Musically, the band plays a form of atmospheric Black Metal that does not really feel so locked into the typical sound. The vocalist here does not have a typical Black Metal vocal style, and instead sounds rather coarse and throaty. Along with the production, he sounds like a fierce and angry golem shouting from inside a cave. The guitars are frequently the typical tremolo picked riffs, often playing beautiful and expansive melodies over the textures. The band also takes many breaks from the speedier moments and breaks into resonant chord moments which really bring a heavy dose of atmosphere and mood. The drums are solid and also serve to greatly enhance some of the greatest transitional moments on the album, my favorite being the shift from a straight beat to a triplet blast beat leading to a huge expansive break in energy on the last track, "Gwiazda Zaranna" from around 4'05" to 4'10." Yes, as small as that moment is in length, these are the subtleties that really made this beyond just a good album. Transitions are a big part of what makes this album so effective, as there are many moments of slower and moodier sections that collide with speedy bursts of energy within most songs. The contrasts create a very dynamic ride through each of the tracks.

There are no weak tracks on this record. Even the interlude-ish track "Wierzba-wieszczka" in the middle of the album has a uniqueness which I did not mind, being that it provided a strong dose of appropriate atmosphere. The overall tone of this album is many things. It is all-encompassing. Expansive is one of the best words I could use to describe it. Many bands seek to achieve a sense of oneness with nature as a theme in their music, but this is a masterful example of what that could look and sound like. Is this an album for everyone? No, I do not believe so. This is an album for those with patience and interest in seeing deep attention to details. A good suggestion for anyone who does go to listen to this, please visit their Facebook page where they have translated their song titles and lyrics to English. Even just having the translated song titles enhanced the listening experience greatly, seeing how it matches with the music. Again, the band did not spare any efforts in crafting this album. At this moment in time, I have listened to the album 25 times. The first two times I felt it was too long. Now I just want it to never end. How is that for an endorsement? Please go check this one out!