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Released in June 2007, Further Down the Nest is the third E.P. from the Polish band Mgła. This 7' was limited to 700 copies and picks up where the band left off with their previous release, Mdłości. The style is very similar and one has to wonder why they were so impatient and continued to release an E.P. each time they wrote a couple songs, rather than holding off for a full-length.
The first song features the kind of freezing cold guitar melodies that would appeal to any fan of early-'90s Scandinavian Black Metal. The riffs possess an epic quality and the overall approach is obsessed by a morbid intensity that is missing with many bands. The production is underground but fairly clear, allowing everything to be heard well enough. The drums might be a little high in the mix, but nothing too bad. The songwriting is rather primitive, though the excessive percussion and frequent tempo shifts keeps it from becoming too minimalist. The song never expands, too much, on the main themes. It remains content to return to the same cold riff, without building to something larger. This is pretty straightforward and achieves what it sets out to do.
The second song is more relaxed, beginning with simple chords and mid-paced drumming. It is a little boring, until a gloomy tremolo riff appears, after a couple minutes. Still, the style is different from the first track, and not in a good way. There is something kind of pop-oriented about the rhythm, and the guitar melody is totally wasted. Even when the pace picks up, it never really unfolds as one would expect. The track kind of meanders its way to a lackluster conclusion, completely undoing the progress set forth by the first track.
Further Down the Nest fails to build on the momentum of the previous E.P. and displays a severe lack of consistency in Mgła's songwriting. This is similar to the band's first release, Presence, which only had one good song. It would seem that things are hit and miss with this band, so it is probably better to just seek out the good tracks and to spend your money on bands with a better idea of what it is that they wish to accomplish.
The first song features the kind of freezing cold guitar melodies that would appeal to any fan of early-'90s Scandinavian Black Metal. The riffs possess an epic quality and the overall approach is obsessed by a morbid intensity that is missing with many bands. The production is underground but fairly clear, allowing everything to be heard well enough. The drums might be a little high in the mix, but nothing too bad. The songwriting is rather primitive, though the excessive percussion and frequent tempo shifts keeps it from becoming too minimalist. The song never expands, too much, on the main themes. It remains content to return to the same cold riff, without building to something larger. This is pretty straightforward and achieves what it sets out to do.
The second song is more relaxed, beginning with simple chords and mid-paced drumming. It is a little boring, until a gloomy tremolo riff appears, after a couple minutes. Still, the style is different from the first track, and not in a good way. There is something kind of pop-oriented about the rhythm, and the guitar melody is totally wasted. Even when the pace picks up, it never really unfolds as one would expect. The track kind of meanders its way to a lackluster conclusion, completely undoing the progress set forth by the first track.
Further Down the Nest fails to build on the momentum of the previous E.P. and displays a severe lack of consistency in Mgła's songwriting. This is similar to the band's first release, Presence, which only had one good song. It would seem that things are hit and miss with this band, so it is probably better to just seek out the good tracks and to spend your money on bands with a better idea of what it is that they wish to accomplish.
