NEHËMAH „“Requiem Tenebrae””

Music: Black Metal
Country: France
Web site: www.myspace.com/nehemah777


Cool Songs: The Great Old Ones, The Elder Gods Awakening, In the Mist of Orion's Sword

“Requiem Tenebrae” is another black metal album from France in the tradition of Norway’s grim musical past. It is an album full of blackened, gruesome sounds. Speed is a key element, but the band does not over relay on it. Slow, droning disharmonic passages are as much a facet of their music as hyper velocities. Whether opting to play a million beats per second or slowing it down to a more comprehendible speed, NEHËMAH’s music always conveys a dark ambiance.

A cacophony of dark and dreadful noises such as a distant, lute-like instrument, subtle explosive sounds, and a cawing raven introduce the album on “Creeping Chaos.” The next track, “The Great Old Ones”, is one of the fastest tracks on the album. A bleak guitar tone, constant drum battering, and hellish shrieks recall DARKTHRONE during the “Transylvania Hunger” era. Corven—who also played in HIMINBJORG—possesses an especially strong, grotesque voice. He pulls off exhaustingly-long screams during a couple of the song’s breaks.

“Dead but Dreaming in the Eternal Icy Waste” is one of the more atmospheric, enchanting tracks. This track relates a sad, morbid feeling with a persistent clean guitar tone and simple percussive beats. The music picks up momentum when an empyreal choir key is introduced. Although it has its own title and track number, this track appears like an instrumental introduction to the next track “The Elder Gods Awakening.” This track begins with the same music as the last, except the drums pick up slightly and the vocals commence. The guitars soon become distorted, harshly enhancing the song.

“In the Mist of Orion’s Sword” is another fast tune. Hljodr pounds his cymbals and skins with exceptional barbarity. The main guitar riff is full of distortion and catchy, black metal guitar techniques like sliding down the fret to end each rhythm. This technique gives the riff a cosmic vibe; perfect for the song’s heavenly theme. EMPEROR utilized the same method on “Moon over Kara-Shehr” and JUDAS ISCARIOT on “Distant in Solitary Night.” The DARKTHRONE influence resurfaces when the band hits a lower, muffled tone.

In some ways, bands outside of Scandinavia seem caught in a time warp. Generally, the Norse and Swedes no longer play the under produced, evil music of its sordid past. They have gone on to realms of the avant-garde. Countries such as France, Lithuania, Ukraine and even America found the origins of Norwegian black metal to be quite special. The rest of the world won’t allow the Norsemen to seal away the evil they first unleashed upon the world. As long as bands like NEHËMAH continue to release albums like “Requiem Tenebrae” this tradition shall remain immortal.

note: 8/10

Tracklist

1. Creeping Chaos
2. The Great Old Ones
3. Dead But Dreaming in the Eternal Icy Waste
4. The Elder Gods Awakening
5. In the Mist of Orion's Sword
6. Taken Away by the Torn Blackshroud
7. Conciousness in Evil
8. Through the Dark Nebula
Total playing time 55:06

Line-up

Corven – Bass, Vocals,
Sorghal – Guitars
Hljodr – Drums