Nithe: Funeral Death
Out 30th May on Caligari Records
Standard retro black/death/thrash metal conceals a more active imagination than is typical for this beaten and very much deceased horse. Each segment revels in its simplicity, but as an excess of ideas unfurl across each track, one can at least admire the attention to detail in constructing these pieces into a clear statement of intent as opposed to yet another tedious recitation of tropes. Basic atonal runs collide with playful chromaticism, which in turn sets the scene for more sophisticated melodic content in the horror film tradition. Proto death metal riffs segment hardcore punk bursts, as competing energies engage in a struggle for dominance across these tracks. Well placed moments of tension also serve the purpose of getting more from less. The ideas may be simple and derivative in isolation, but as they accumulate across this EP a pleasing if limited celebration of metal world building begins to accrue.
Iaton: Portit Pohjolan
Out 6th June on Signal Rex
Although a little too basic for its own good, Iaton manage to convey the grey mysticism of Nordic black metal with convincing vigour. Drab atmospheres are coloured with a sense of wonder. A reverence for open spaces and solitude in nature. A rudimentary riff package of black metal offcuts is supplemented – albeit sparingly – by sparse synth lines that expand the music’s horizons, creating greater scope in both the expressive and metaphorical sense. The vocal delivery contrasts with this size in their closeness to the listener. An immediate narration in an otherwise liminal environment. But Iaton are lacking at the substantive level despite these well placed stylistic choices. The riffs, whilst serviceable, are often too limited for the amount of mileage Iaton are trying to get out of them. Ditto the plodding drums that do little to prop up this relatively stale material. Repetition only works if the ideas are engaging or hypnotic enough. But each track is packed with one too many off-the-shelf idea to really carry the otherwise immersive atmospheres achieved on this album. The result is an instantly enjoyable album whose charms wear off in an instant.
Cromlech: Of Owls and Eels
Out 6th June on Darkness Shall Rise Productions
Essentially a haunted house take on fast and frantic symphonic black metal, achieved through an overuse of “spooky” devices in both the melodic construction and choice of keyboard patches. Whilst the execution is not without its merits, the approach is too random and impatient to convey anything over and above a general vibe. The production is certainly well suited to this form of sensory overload metal. A wall of guitar noise underpinned by sharp but quiet drums, washes of synth lines alongside orchestra hits and church organs undergird an already dense wave of sonic information. Although the music isn’t simple, all this additional window dressing can’t cover up the fact that it often lacks direction. Good ideas go wasted, unable to maintain their momentum, and instead leaning on the same tired crowd pleasers. Finales and moments of dramatic import force their way through the cacophony with little setup, like waking from a dream to find oneself thrust into a situation one has no knowledge or foresight of. A relatively unique package of gothic black metal affectations wasted for lack of a structural purpose.
Iku-Turso: Wolfheart
Out 6th June on Purity Through Fire
Simple, vigorous, militaristic black metal offering not much beyond a stripped down version of Gorgoroth’s ‘Pentagram’ mixed with early Impaled Nazarene affectations, complete with a vocalist who sounds uncannily like Hat. As an unimaginative knock off it at least achieves the status of “fun”. But for anyone looking for insight into how the vocabulary of genre can be developed or even used to restate an ethos one had best look elsewhere. Competence is in such great abundance in this day and age that it takes that bit extra to actually stand out. Whilst the high melodicism, technical precision, and ready flow of energy across these tracks is impressive, one is left with few reasons to return owing to the fact that any important information can be mined from this EP after only a handful of cursory listens.
Devs Mortvorvm: The Oldest Crypt
Out 6th June on Apocalyptic Productions
Removes the playful bounce from Autopsy style drone and replaces it with a gothic gravitas supplemented by a muscular ambition. The funereal, fatalistic edge undergirding the music finds its contradiction in the bighting aggression of the rhythm guitar tone, revelatory nihilism, and raw abandon of the histrionic vocal performances. Melodic language borrowed from the tragedian turn within modern funeral doom is resituated into a more direct – and therefore paradoxically ambiguous – death metal setting, seeing a collision of raw power and threnodic woe. By combining a strong melodic philosophy with the barbaric sense of purpose established by early death/doom, Devs Mortvorvm have found a novel way to reconcile the curious but often monotone flights of Esoteric with the energy-without-a-cause of latter day Asphyx, thus salvaging a genre that at times threatens to dissolve into its own mythology.
Empalamento: Ordem Da Estaca
Out 10th June on Haloran Records
Above average concoction of early Norwegian black metal calling cards achieves a compelling synthesis of obscurantist atmospheres and fluid riffcraft. The package may be modest and rampantly derivative, but peering between the cracks of the execution one can discern an artist clearly passionate about the form and knowledgeable enough to communicate in its language, to the point of articulating a semblance of their own voice throughout. An interesting intersection of early Enslaved and Graveland creates an immersive atmosphere both cold yet replete with mysticism and the sense of high adventure always promised by the genre’s original practitioners. In this sense – and what sets this EP apart from its peers – the music reaches beyond its means, managing to convey a sense of wonder to the listener over and above the sum of its parts.
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