Nominon- Monumentomb [2010]

SweDeath Metallers Nominon released their newest this month on Deathgasm. My advice? Go see this band on tour with Infinite Obscure and Quinta Essentia. I love Swede metal. This album is not an exception. The whole album is dirty, filthy Swedish Death metal. THe production is great and remains true to the OSDM vibe. No clicky, no protools-y sound, just good, slightly under produced DM. Although Nominon claimed in Decibel that they didn't "pussy out and play death n roll," I can definitely hear some n'roll in Monumentomb. Certainly not enough for a genre switch, but listen, it's there. I think it's a Swede thing. Maybe they don't realize they're doing it.

The album does get off to a rather meh start with Mantra Reverse, but picks up after that. Archified picks up the pace and includes a little Shining (SWE) esque vocal line. Kevorkian's Wrath piqued my interest because it's the only (?) song on the album that takes any sort of stance (and I agree). Although, now I'm just curious about assisted suicide laws in Sweden. Damn. In any case, the album is fucking solid, but the real stand out is the last track, Wrath of Shiva. It's got a new Bloodbath sort of vibe, and it's fucking angry.

The whole album is headbang-y goodness, but it certainly didn't reinvent the wheel. It's heavy, it's dark, dirty, catchy at times. I think a live show would be awesome windmill territory.

Best tracks: Wrath of Shiva

7.5/10 LG Petrovs for Nominon's newest
-PG

Imannifest- Qliphotic

This is one of my favorite CDs in the pitgoddess' review pile. Mainman Anton Kalaj is a brilliant composer and songwriter. Dark, haunting, symphonic and fast as fuck, Immanifest could be the new Dimmu. I mean that as the biggest compliment possible. These dudes are talented, dedicated and professional. Imman had their EP mixed at MorrisSound Studios, to give you an idea. The EP sounds so big, so dark, so evil, that I completely forgot I was sitting in my living room, not a haunted castle, complete with undead orchestra. This is NOT your run of the mill Florida band that forgot what decade it is. These guys are ready to take the world by storm, and I wish them all the best in their endeavors.

Rumored lineup changes make me hope the new drummer is quality. Seriously, if you don’t give this EP a chance, you’re missing out on what could be the next big thing.

PS– I had a hard time changing the CD when I finished this review.-PG

9.5/10 Alligators for Team Florida.

Watain: Lawless Darkness 2010

As a sort of Watain fangirl, it can be hard to listen to their albums quasi-objectively. Luckily for me, Lawless Darkness is amazing. This is definitely the black metal album of the year.

For those not familiar with Watain, the band features bassist E, of Dissection fame. It's pure fucking Swedish black metal at it's finest. No keyboards, no shitty wind tunnel production, no Varg cobra vocals. Pure fucking evil black metal.

This album kicks you in the teeth right off the bat and never lets go. The drum sound is clean, it's not super blasting, but H's drums fit the tone of the album. There's more lead work, which I appreciate. This album has melody! But it's still evil as fuck. E's vocals are loud and fucking clear. The lyrics are dark. The whole album is incredibly well composed, well written and basically the epitome of modern black metal.

Reaping Death sets the bar high for modern black metal. Four Thrones is probably my favorite song on the album. I banged my head relentlessly through the whole album. The only downside is the second half of title track Lawless Darkness. There's no vocals, no real lead, it just kind of drones on. It's not bad for background noise, but it's not engaging or interesting. To be honest, all of the songs are long (album clocks on at 1 hr 13 min- at least 20 min longer than the last two). But, that certainly doesn't mean they're not good.

Waters of Ain, at 14 min, is the most ambitious Watain song yet. I expected something long, boring opus type thing, but it's not. It's punishing. It's interesting. It's an opus- a brilliant black metal masterpiece.

Overall, this CD fucking slays. It sets the bar wicked high for modern black metal. Give it a spin, it'll kick your face in.

9/10 pig heads.

-The PitGoddess
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