Addressing the blood memory of our race, the creator overcomes time and space, linking centuries and generations with a single chain. Thus, in the text of the legendary composition “Black Wing”, completing the album of the same name of the group M8L8TH, published in the distant 2004, a fragment of a song sung by Gildis – the wife of Jarl Ottar, from Valentin Ivanov’s historical novel “Tales of Ancient Years” (part of a trilogy which also includes “Rus Initial” and “Rus the Great”) is used:

“On the banner of Nidaros was depicted a mighty raven. On the scarlet cloth stood out strong beak, heavy tenacious paws and sharp wings, which later borrowed for its emblem one European power.

Gildis’ voice had not lost its power, but had become lower. The woman sang another song:

“I see a raven, with a black wing.
Flapped and rose above the white eagle.
I see how they rose into the sky,
I see the feathers tumbling and the claws clashing.

The eagle’s wings are stronger than the raven’s,
The eagle’s wings are sharper than the raven’s.
And the raven fell, the eagle overcame.
He sat on a rock and sang his victory.

But the raven recovers and soars up the cliff.
And he strikes the eagle with a swift blow.
The raven’s beak
A Viking’s sword,
And he cuts the eagle’s head
The eagle’s head from his shoulders.

The drakkars did not carry heavy barges, and they were dragged by the cross current. In the afternoon the flotilla made a passage equal to two passages of a rider, but moved four times faster than him, because at night the drakkars did not need to rest like horses. On the sixteenth day, the Sharks were the first to run into the throat of the Nidaros Fjord.”

This is how the song Raven – Viking became part of the composition Black Wing, which became the center song in M8L8TH’s first album:

The sun plays fire on the ringlets,
And the morning air is piercingly clear.
The blackened shields will block this field
To the rustle of the trees and the wind’s whistle.

The trees will cover our backs with their leaves,
We wait without fear for the moment to come
The moment when the sun will call to our souls,
And the clear morning will give us eternity.

Our enemy, cursed by heaven, is nothing,
Our empty souls stand before us.
I see now the darkness of your eyes,
The darkness that’s been lurking in your souls for years.

Your eyes are full of destructive will,
Your hearts are filled with turmoil,
Your bodies will be filled with searing pain,
Pain will bring it all to an end.

“I see a raven, with a black wing.
“flapped and rose above the white eagle.
“I see how they flew up into the sky,
“How feathers flew and talons clawed together.

The eagle’s wings are stronger than the raven’s,
The eagle’s wings are sharper than the raven’s.
And the raven fell, the eagle prevailed,
He sat on a rock and sang his victory.

But the raven recovers and soars up the cliff.
And he struck the eagle with a swift blow.
The raven’s beak is a warrior’s sword,
“He cuts the eagle’s head from his shoulders.”

Into the arms of death so falls the warrior,
He sings his song, and only white smoke,
that rises to the heavens,
Smoke rises silvery above him.

He will soar to the heavenly halls,
Where fathers meet their sons,
Leaving the burning world behind,
The world of extinguished fires.

And the warrior will embrace the earth in farewell.
And the warrior will merge with the sky and fall into eternal sleep,
And the gloomy wanderer, the dusky raven.
will cover his eyes with a black wing!

The fusion of incredible energy, virtuoso performance art, so uncharacteristic for young bands, and most importantly, sincerity and unwavering faith in the philosophy that is presented on this album – these are the main and most remarkable features of this Molotch creation, inscribed in golden letters in the history of this band, as well as in the history of all black metal. Of course, one can easily notice that this was Molotch’s debut album, because at that time the band was still in search of its own unique style and sound, and therefore sometimes there are intonations reminiscent of black metal classics, such as Burzum or Mayhem, but, nevertheless, there is also a special, incomparable handwriting – in vocals, music, lyrics, which made Molotch one of the leaders of militant black metal, at least in Eastern Europe. Moreover, the album “Black Wing” has long ago acquired the status of a cult, precisely because it became a worthy continuation of black metal traditions and a weighty word in the genre, said a decade and a half ago.

As it was already mentioned, Moloth albums have a unique emotional background connected with the atmosphere of militancy, healthy aggression, chaos and frenzy, cut in the right places by silver points of calm and measured melodies and clean vocals, which makes it easy to escape from everyday life, plunging into the world of ideas, into the world of pure prototypes. Alternating pictures create a fascinating story, flashing before your eyes almost like pages of an epic novel, which became a discovery and revelation:

The sky’s shining face of ice
The winter night covered with itself,
Clutched it in its crystal-black embrace,
Tore out my soul and merged with me.
Through the darkness the sun will shine again,
To rule this Earth!
(Across the Twilight)

“Under the Falling Star”, “Scent of Blood”, “All-consuming Fear” – the fiery heat that was ignited on the first track does not subside, but becomes stronger and stronger, rises to the heavens. Such conceptual songs as “Scum” and “Black Wing”, especially the original track in the style of skaldic songs, where a poetic passage from Valentin Ivanov’s text, sung by Gildis, the wife of Jarl Ottar, was skillfully woven into the song:

“I see a raven, he flapped his black wing.
Flapped and rose above the white eagle…”

The album “Black Wing” makes a strong and indelible impression, as if the incantation songs of ancient Magi, presented in a modern interpretation, with all the artillery power of heavy guitars and drum blast-beats. The album can rightfully be considered a classic of black metal, becoming a part of history, a part of legend, a part of the golden legend of the white race about noble warriors defending the life and honor of their kind, a legend that has become available thanks to the work of outstanding musicians from the band M8l8th.