Review by J.C. on January 21, 2026.

A solo-produced record may not compare to a well-crafted team effort in every aspect, but it often implies more creative freedom, allowing for easy exploration of new elements or even genre shifts without considering others' opinions. Innovation does not always lead to surprises, but this release from Ukraine's Протидія might be an exception. The artist's previous album was still atmospheric black metal, with a sense of despair and harsh vocals. However, in this album, he seems to be exploring a new type of progressive metal sound, similar to The Arbitrary. Vocals have become an element to discard and are absent in this new EP. The three tracks give me slightly different impressions, but share complex song structures, rich elements, and varied, clever riffs. Although it is progressive metal with a modern touch, the melodies do not compromise towards pop; instead, they are strange yet listenable, seemingly written with unusual music scales, reminiscent at times of Opeth and Edge Of Sanity.

The opening track, 'Wandering In The Whirl', starts with a black metal riff similar to Kradmar, then when the second guitar comes in, the riff takes on a progressive metal feel, with the keyboards enhancing the atmosphere. The buildup lasts quite long until around 40 seconds when a melodic death/thrash metal-style riff kicks in, with the bass filling the gaps, followed by solos and black metal tremolo sections. Around 2 minutes, an acoustic guitar appears, and the track has already packed enough material together in an unusual arrangement, with more to be added later. The ending melody is great, dark yet enchanting, but brief; the creator seems to want it to appear just once rather than repeat. The second track, 'The Mystery Of Re-creation', starts with a traditional heavy metal-style intro, and it features more complex arrangement elements, including keyboards, for which many Russian metal bands are expert, and some rock elements. Its melodies are more distinct than those in the first track, yet it balances between pop and quirkiness. Sudden stops seem frequently appear in this EP, but each pause foreshadows something even better in the next moment. The third track, 'Whisper Of Spring', opens with experimental rock sections, later accompanied by keyboards I particularly enjoy, which this time do not merely play a supporting role but deliver a complete motif. This track also has more progressive rock elements, and the riff at 1:40 reminds me of the inspiring classical-style melodic lines of Danish band Royal Hunt. Being the shortest track, it ends quickly, concluding with a calm acoustic guitar segment.

The EP is under 12 minutes in total but is packed with a wealth of content, seamlessly connected, feeling neither abrupt nor inconsistent. Some releases that use a similar idea might leave listeners confused, such as Czechia's melodic death band Awrizis's second album in 2019, but this EP is not like that; it handles everything very well. Considering that the album is over half an hour long, while this EP is only a third of that, I believe the information density is higher. In any case, this EP is worth listening to, and finishing listening to it won't take too much time. Also, give the best wishes to the artist in creating even better works.

Rating: 8.9 out of 10

Review by Lawrence Stillman on December 18, 2025.

So, the person behind the album approached me and requested that I make a review for this EP. After a dozen listens, I guess I can say that this is not your typical atmospheric black metal record, as it lacks the many traits commonly associated with the genre, and yet this record achieves the same thing while giving it a more progressive spin on it.

The cover art did give it away that it will be a more mystical, clean, and sophisticated record than what we come to know black metal as, and yet, going into the EP, progressive is definitely not what I expect the songs to be. Despite that, it is a pretty well-done EP from a solo project, a lot of full-spectrum soundscape utilization to make use of emphasis for certain instruments like the bass. The mixing/production is also something I did not expect to be this good from a solo project, since it has the person behind the project doing all the work, and that can seriously hamper the sound of the record if done wrong. Fortunately, Протидія did a fantastic job on the production as every instrument has a high amount of clarity, and at any given moment, you can hear all the instruments at once, instead of some of them being buried in favour of others being shoved forward and ruining the experience for audiophiles.

For a solo project, this EP surprised me at how diverse and rich the soundscape is, but unfortunately, it is a little too short for my liking, as I dig this kind of black metal too, just not much opportunity to discover them to begin with. Definitely a great progressive/atmospheric black metal for newcomers to dig into, especially with the clean production that is not common for black metal.

Highlights: 'The Mystery Of Re-creation'

Rating: 8.2 out of 10