Review by Alex on November 17, 2021.

Here's yet another reason Polish black metal is awesome; Cień coming in cold on Gods Ov War Productions with their 3rd full length album titled Redemption. If there's anything that can make a sunny day turn to an overcast, 24-hour period of misanthropic thoughts then this certainly is one of those things. Not everyone's go to type of black metal but for those who can find appreciation in solitude and bleak contemplation, there is sanctuary here for you on Redemption.

Melancholic yet strangely triumphant, the music on Redemption will slowly come caving in on you in sheer hopeless fashion then out of nowhere reveal to you a tiny space for you to escape. Songs such as the melodic joyride 'The Hour Of Justice' and the agonizing 'Lethargy' truly summon a believable atmosphere of oppression, dejection and futility through the tremolo rhythms and mostly those unorthodox vocal wails (that sometimes are reminiscent of Attila Csihar (Mayhem)) of anguish that translate excellently what seems to be the main thesis of the record.

Many will find the songwriting to be very engaging and very supportive of the concept Cień tackle and bring to life on Redemption. The fact that the band are able to mold multiple musical textures into one cohesive blend of instrumental entropy says much about the members' effort especially when you get to a song the likes of 'Liberation Bliss' and still not feel as though you're listening to an entirely different album from its original inception. The melody remains strong, the battle between redemption and failure still progresses through the use of melancholic riff tones and rhythmic landscapes of conquest.

Sometimes it is easy to forgive such depressive sounds in metal and this is one of those because the music itself seems very genuine and well written. It ensures that there is some sort of emotional development always active which helps to keep the listener engaged to the very end that comes in the form being 'Virtues of Death'.

Cień have done an outstanding job on their third full length titled Redemption proving themselves more than capable of capturing and effectively translating strong emotions into musical form.

Rating: 8.4 out of 10