Ragana – Wash Away

I wrote my first review about this record back in 2015. You can find it here, but I’m warning you it’s in Bulgarian. Back then, like eight years ago, Ragana felt like a secret only discovered by the chosen few. Today, more people from the international DIY scene seem to acknowledge their greatness.

Wash Away is probably my favorite release by the band, so it’s great that I get to write about it again in 2023! The formal reason for this is the current vinyl reissue by Contraszt! Records, an amazing opportunity for European fans to get this record easily and hassle-free.

I’ll start with the undeniable fact that Wash Away has stood the test of time and still makes the fine hairs on the back of my neck feel electric. This is a very good sign. Wash Away is the successor of Unbecoming and an essential if you’re just getting into Ragana. For two years between these records, the band’s sound has most certainly evolved, as did the songwriting.

The opener “Invocation pt.2” is easily the most blackened track and an absolute banger! Every single song in this record has a certain appeal to me, but what I equally love about all of them combined is the constant change of dynamics, and a flow that seems puzzling at times but feels oddly natural nonetheless.

Compared to their previous releases, Wash Away has a better balanced, more focused sound without compromising the fierceness and raw emotion of the songs. Definitely a better translation of the sonic possibilities of Ragana’s signature minimalistic approach—a single guitar and a drum set, probably a distortion box for the heavy parts, and of course the whole emotional palette of the human voice.

The title track was definitely my favorite back when this record came out and it still holds to this day! A stunning, fragile yet brutal melody with strong haunting capabilities. And it just gives out a taste of what would unleash later in the album…

The screeching outbursts of pure black metal are still here, but the introverted melodic stuff is where this record truly shines! One of these beautiful and weirdly haunting songs is “Nameless Constellation”, a track I find absolutely brilliant. “Alive” is another peak moment, an intensive and purifying revelation, which (coincidentally?!) makes for a great transition to the painful, more introverted beauty of “Frail Frame”.

So, in short: Wash Away is still my favorite Ragana record indeed, and they made a couple of really good records after that! Strongly recommended band and release. Get it now and/or cry later.

P.S. Ragana are preparing their new album for release in 2023! European dates will be announced soon.