Olhava, Olhava, Olhava. That’s the theme of the day.
For those who perhaps haven’t been around that long, a quick reminder: the Saint Petersburg (RU) atmospheric-black ensemble’s 2021 album Frozen Bloom (their fourth overall) was reviewed here after Avantgarde Music handled the physical release; and it promptly floated its way into the top ten of my list of that year’s best releases.
Since that time, despite all the fucked up stuff that’s been going on in their own country and all around the world, the duo (which includes Tim Yusupov, also of Trna and various other projects, on drums, and Andrey Novozhilov, also of Trna and Remaining Warmth [discussed here] among various others, on guitars and vocals) have managed to put out three more incredible records.
These releases ranked #1 on my lists for 2022 and 2024. The most recent came out about six weeks ago; at this point, just barely more than a quarter into 2026, it’s impossible to say whether this newest record will follow its predecessors in the highest spot, but regardless you can guarantee it’ll be pretty damn close to it at the very least.
In this post we will take a quick spin through all three.
Olhava – Reborn (digital self-released, 27 May 2022 / physical Avantgarde Music, 26 August 2022)
Olhava – Sacrifice (Avantgarde Music, 26 January 2024)
Olhava – Memorial (Avantgarde Music, 27 February 2026)
Valley of Steel 