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One-man Black Metal bands have often successfully attracted the attention of the masses, not that I have any idea why that is. Based in Gomel, Belarus, Vietah, run by a guy who goes by Antarctis, is no exception to this rule.

Vietah,, launched in 2006, already has three full-length studio albums, on which Antarctis plays all the instruments and provides all the vocals. Tajemstvy Noczy (Sacraments of the Night in English) is the most recent creation and I take my hat off to Antarctis. Atmospheric Black Metal to the core, this album is full of strong melodies, the beauty of Black Metal's grimness, evilness and darkness and, unlike so many other "tr00" Black Metal records, it has a very clear production. Every song reaches epic length, lasting between 9 and 11 minutes each. There are no dead or dull moments on the entire album. Antarctis has taken his time composing songs for his third opus, ensuring each song flows and is full of meaningful elements. He has an extraordinary good sense for atmosphere and melody and has harnessed all his creative powers to make sure everything is just right.

Tajemstvy Noczy has a lot to offer fans of atmospheric, Norse-sounding Black Metal. It's an impressive achievement that Antarctis has done this all by himself.