Karl's Reviews

Exercises in Integrity

Being a first‑time album reviewer, I am expressly honored to invite you, dear reader, to accompany me on these initial steps of an exciting journey in pursuit of on‑line notoriety. Likewise, Corven, the mastermind behind the Chambéry‑based black metal outfit Nehëmah, staring menacingly from the adequately stylish cover art, urges us to indulge ourselves with the unholy hymns of his band's debut full‑length offering, Light of a Dead Star. My first impression of The North's 06/24 featured release is that of a good old underground black metal CD. To be more specific, the kind you may come across while inspecting the contents of a €2.99 bin at your local music store. And I by no means consider that an insult—a wealth of terrific, lesser‑known metal awaits to be uncovered in such places. Will Nehëmah's first spell turn out to be one of such hidden gems, or is it destined to rest forgotten in the depths of the underground? We shall find out soon enough.

After an introductory ambient piece, the title track begins its roar, and we are off to a good start. Right away, we find ourselves in the middle of an all‑out blast beat assault, while the vocalist introduces himself with a long, triumphant scream. Although a common trope in black metal, kicking off a record in this particular manner never lost its charm on me, and after all these years, it still gets my heart racing. Corven's powerful roars are an obvious highlight—at times, they can be seen to be clearly influenced by Nocturno Culto, but quite often (specifically when the band slows things down a bit), he sounds closer to Thyme of Ragnarok fame. Either way, that's a big, fat compliment in my book.

Despite their origins in southeastern France, the musicians opt for a distinctively Scandinavian sound, paying homage to the legendary 90s Norwegian scene. The production job sets the tone very well, bringing forward all the raw, trebly goodness without sacrificing balance and clarity or being especially hard on the ears—we even get to hear some bass action! One minor complaint I have is that the drum sound comes off as just a tad bit plasticky, which somewhat lessens the instrument's impact. The drumming itself is very enjoyable—the fills are colorful, while the kicks and blast beats are properly devastating, although it must be said that there are some extended sections of primitive, mid‑paced beats to be found. Those, I have to admit, get me to roll my eyes in disappointment, and I find myself wishing that they had opted to spend a little more time figuring out how to spark some interest in those parts. Likewise, at times, I find the songwriting a little too simplistic for my taste. There are sections I believe could use a tiny touch of additional spice—perhaps a little melody sprinkled here and there. That said, I cannot count that as a real flaw, as it is clearly a conscious decision by the band. To put it another way, you are absolutely encouraged to disregard what I just said if you have always preferred Darkthrone to Gorgoroth. Today's final bitching will concern the runtime. I am not entirely certain that all the riffs on display are strong enough to warrant the amount of repetition; I want to believe some fat loss could go a long way in helping most of the songs come out as a more focused and polished effort.

As if determined to make me eat my words, the crafty Frenchmen choose to close the album out with what might be the sweetest delight on offer and, funnily enough, it is the longest one. Despite featuring particularly offensive Ildjarn‑style drumming patterns, the thunderous epic Misty Swamps showcases the band's ability to use repetition as a means of setting up a big payoff for the finale. In this case, the long runtime works to the track's advantage, enhancing the emotional buildup. At last, I have to commend the band for introducing some fresh ideas towards the later half of the album. The mentioned closer sees the bass taking a more central role in the proceedings for a playful dialogue with the guitars. In addition to that, we get to experience some melodic leads and chanting (I Will Sleep with the Dragon), and a very cool eastern‑spiced, ritualistic atmosphere (Nehëmah in vulva infernum). All in all, this is a fun record that manages to keep my interest throughout all of its tracks and although it did not blow my mind right off, I can observe my fondness for it growing with each subsequent listen. If you, dear reader, prefer your black metal true to its roots—heartfelt and pure as stream waters of the freezing North—you can't go wrong with choosing Light of a Dead Star as your companion for a quiet, contemplative evening.

Check it out if you enjoy: Angantyr, Darkthrone & Judas Iscariot

Personal highlights: Misty Swamps, Light of a Dead Star, Nehëmah in vulva infernum

I dedicate this one to Daniel, our friend here at the Academy, for advice and kind words of encouragement.

Rotten Christ

While the last few notes of the closing track are ringing, I grace the recycled album cover with a tired stare. — Oh, how I wish I had fired up “Incorrigible Bigotry” instead! I figure at this point I should make peace with the fact that the Greek titans have indeed earned their right to rest & make some quick buck now and then — their works of old have brought me so much joy after all! As I contemplate the retirement conditions of musicians once great, it occurs to me that it'd be prudent to stop making a fool of myself and cease throwing more effort into this review — for on the record I struggle to find any.

Never Fade Away

California's Commander ended up being a relatively brief affair. Gathered in 1985, the US power metallers decided to pull the plug just four years later, leaving behind a single full-length labeled “The High n' Mighty.” Failing to achieve any semblance of commercial success whatsoever in the thrash-dominated landscape of the late 80s, the album spearheaded the band's descent into obscurity and remains the only concrete outcome of its activity, save for a spot on the “Metal Massacre VII” compilation. “The High n' Mighty” happens to be quite a significant record for me personally. I stumbled upon it as a single-digit-year-old whelp after purchasing one of the “mp3 metal collection” discs (anybody remember those?). Since it was one of the earlier “lesser-known” bands I discovered, Commander was partly responsible for introducing me to the idea of looking beyond the big names—a thought that sparked a lifelong passion for the metal underground.

The neuronal machinery of the young, impressionable brain of mine was utterly reorganized upon hearing the guitar solo of the opening number, “Knights of the Round Table”. I would not have discovered the feats of Maestro Malmsteen until years later, and a strong allergic reaction to the more straightforward hard rock style I contracted at birth made it impossible for me to appreciate most of the classic shredders. Thus, the hyper-melodic, classical-hinted style of Commander's axeman Dave Macias was a complete novelty for me back then. Around the same time, I found out about a great guitar hero of mine, Andy LaRocque, and they both ended up playing a big part in my exposure to a whole new array of possibilities when it comes to what can be achieved with the instrument. Obviously, over the years, it turned out that Dave's way of playing wasn't all that uncommon or innovative. Nonetheless, it remains fucking delightful to listen to and stands out as the strongest asset of the record at hand, with moments of lead guitar brilliance aplenty throughout the runtime. The opener's qualities don't end here for me, however. I find the track to possess a rare and highly sought-after trait in the particularly high load of uplifting energy, with the potential to help you power through some really tough chores. For example, I would reach for “Knights” regularly on the long study nights in college, and it proved itself to be both more effective and a healthier stimulant than the trusty Jägermeister mit Red Bull. Admittedly, the track is quite heavy on the cheese department as far as the album goes, and I would even go so far as to suggest that at times it approaches straight-up europower territory. That said, it finds itself sitting reasonably well within the outskirts of my acceptable glucose concentration regions.

“Knights” might be a sweet little darling of mine, but the main course on offering here is, without a doubt, the absolute behemoth of USPM glory in “Die by the Sword”. The song is a masterclass in tension-building, with the cyclic nature of the composition playing very well into the lyrical theme of fighting an inescapable fate. While Dave Macias has been the undeniable star of the show so far, I have a feeling that, recognizing where their most fruitful effort was, the other members decided to really up their game for this one. In effect, we get to experience no less than a few instances of truly cathartic musical beauty throughout the track's runtime, with the culminating point of the story featuring a particularly moving performance by the frontman, Jon Natisch. From that moment on, the gears are set for the last buildup and the gloriously satisfying finale. Introducing some needed variety and enhancing the song's character are the pleasantly clacky bass lines, courtesy of Ron Avila. The drummer Richard Mejia retains the thematically appropriate, steady pulse throughout most of the runtime, reaching out for his more advanced skills in the moments of increased intensity, thus contributing greatly to the emotional contrasts within the piece. My personal highlight, however, has to be the performance of the guest synth player, Mark Benson, with both the intro and the passage starting at around the five and a half minute mark having a very profound impact on me. That is due to the evocation of the retro-futuristic sound of the early digital age—a time when we as mankind were looking bravely forward in anticipation of the bright future to come, and a time I find myself deeply nostalgic for. The hints and motifs of this type are present throughout the album, amplified by the production job that graces Dave's leads with an unmistakable tone evoking the images of molten, industrial steel.

I believe at this point it is quite evident that I find the high points of “The High n' Mighty” to be much more than enjoyable, and on their basis alone, I would be quick to reach out for an award in the highest range of 4 to 5 stars. However, we obviously have to touch on the rest of the material and judge the album as a whole. Of note is the speedy number “Return of the Goths”, featuring a particularly beautiful solo by Dave. We also get a convincing package of tracks spawned by the band's admiration for the great Ronnie James Dio. “Kill the King” is a tightly executed cover that manages to manifest its relevancy by upping the heaviness of the well-regarded original. Furthermore, the inspirations are so evident in “Wizard”, that one could be forgiven for mistaking it for another Rainbow / Dio cover track, with especially Jon Natisch displaying tricks taken straight from his idol's playbook. The closer, “The Blade Shines On” is a good song as well, in a similar vein to “Return of the Goths”, though never quite reaching its heights. Unfortunately, I have to say that the record features a block of pretty unexciting material from the title track through “Terror”, where the songwriting takes a noticeable dip in quality. Furthermore, it is clear that Jon Natisch wasn't an experienced vocalist at the time of the recording. His lines are weirdly laid out at times, and occasionally he struggles to stay on-key. His passion and talent cannot be denied, but the lesser quality of the aforementioned three tracks makes it a bit harder to ignore the odd inadequacy. All in all, they do tempt me to reach for the skip button and represent an obstacle to enjoying the record in its full running time.

I find it regretful, that Commander ended up dissolving so early into their career, never fully realizing their vision of bombastic heavy metal. I believe they had the potential to spawn at least a few more beautiful spells and develop a minor cult following they deserved. Over the years, I would scan the Internet from time to time in anticipation of a proper re-release on CD (that it still hasn't manifested itself is but a travesty) or an unlikely reunion. Thus, I was deeply saddened to hear about Jon Natisch's untimely passing in 2012. “The High n' Mighty” might not be an eternal classic when looked at as the whole package, but nonetheless, its high points remain among my all-time favorites within the subgenre. If you are attracted to USPM style in any capacity whatsoever, and especially if you consider yourself a connoisseur of flashy, melodic guitar leads, I would highly recommend you check out at least the highlight tracks outlined below.

For fans of: Dio, King Diamond & Y.J. Malmsteen's Rising Force

Highlight tracks: Knights of the Round Table, Return of the Goths & Die by the Sword