PIRUT

This is essentially one 40-minute piece that has been separated into 8 tracks for convenience, with no pause between them, and the tracks have been numbered to imply no significance beyond the sequence, which is critical. It's a symmetrical work, both in terms of recurring themes but also in which the first couple of tracks are inductions, both referencing the doom metal roots unexplored since their debut album, the last two wrap up the package, and the middle 4 form the core of the exercise. While metal is more or less absent after track 2, this is in no way a gentle opus, which was a description that could have been applied to the last few albums much more readily. It may often be rambunctious, even raucous, but is also drop dead gorgeous. Interestingly, the band is now composed of 5 members rather than one or two plus guests, which may have led to the synchronicity of the performance.

The pinnacle is the combination of III-V. III begins with a melancholically breathtaking theme on viola, joined by piano, other keys, guitar and rhythm, morphing as it goes. We then return to the original melody quietly at first then heavily, with vocals finally appearing in the last minute and they orchestrate the closing to perfection, and - spoiler alert - they do this again magnificently to end track VII. To me, it's also the most Russian sounding of the works of this Russian group, bringing back memories of old records my parents had. Yet somehow IV is even a touch better, and the longest at over 8 minutes. It incorporates the vocal melody much sooner, and its crescendos are propelled skywards by the background vocalizations of Alina Roberts who had enhanced a prior release. I have mentioned that it was sometimes hard to delineate the boundaries of songs on those albums, yet here, when the tracks were presumably an afterthought, they actually deliver both within and between. I could go on, but I've gushed so much already that you probably need to detour around me anyway.

I was by no means sure that KAUAN had the seeds of a masterpiece within them as I aired the previous 4 albums, all more than worthy enough to convince me to keep listening for FOMO. "Pirut" means "Devil" in Finnish, and it seems like Pirut has been at it again, luring us into wanton temptation with this exquisite cohesive work that so eclipses the prior efforts by KAUAN that it can only be awarded 5 stars. And I didn't mention TENHI even once.