"Merrimack" may be Celtic for "infinite depths" or "abyss", but I simply wouldn't have imagined anyone choosing it as the name for a black metal band. I mean, even if "flüffibünni" was Swedish for something crazy like "elite unholy destroyers of Christ", I highly doubt anyone would call their band Flüffibünni, right? Or maybe they would, I don't know... toss a few pentagrams or inverted crosses in there and it'd probably make for a cool logo. Go figure...
Anyway, the French black metal scene has been getting quite a bit of attention over the last several years due to a number of rather inventive bands that are pushing the boundaries of the genre and releasing some rather incredible material, and Merrimack's gradual rising in the ranks seems to have taken quite a leap forward with their latest Moribund Records release, "Of Entropy and Life Denial". Musically speaking the band does stay fairly true to the more commonly accepted aesthetic characteristics of the genre's finest in terms of blending intense speeds with pounding midpaced rhythms and winding dissonance, with most of their more creative turns coming in the form of relatively intricate (not to mention powerful) arrangements that toss around quite a few unexpected twists and turns and the occasionally badass atypical riff that really grabs your attention. The recording is also walking a line between the thinner, harsher side of things and a slightly crisper attack, so it certainly comes across as rather rugged, just not overly so. What's interesting is that the vast majority of the vocals are completely shrouded by their placement in the mix, coming across more like the echoes of completely twisted and unintelligible whispers/screams, with scattered passages here and there sliding forth in much more punctuated snarls. I kind of like that vibe as it lets the intriguing atmosphere of the music do most of the work, but one of Merrimack's most obvious strengths over the majority of the black metal realm is that their lyrics are far, far stronger than most of their contemporaries:
Lower, time takes everything lower. The enemy makes everything dirtier. Children grow old and die, as all worlds crumble and dissolve. Down you go, what did you expect? All paths go this way far beneath. Buried in the dead black earth lies the forgotten architecture, the stones glanced upon through righteous expression like keys to the edifice lost behind oceans of clay...
Very cool. I'm definitely into this record, and Merrimack overcomes the odds to prove that they do indeed have more to offer...
Merrimack "Seraphic Conspiracy (Of the Angels and Their Mission)"
Merrimack "Consecration of the Temple (Of the World and its Impalement)"
Make the buy if you're interested in the material:
Comments
just an aside, since i’m not into BM:
andrew, the opening paragraphs on deicide and merrimack are exactly the type of sarcasm and wit that’s been missing since the days of old when you used to cover mediocre/shitty bands as well - not that these two are shitty, but you know what i mean. good to see it pop up every now and then. :)
8.30.2006 | By chris
such a great album. just received this and the ‘ashes of purification’ LP this week. glad to see you covering some BM stuff as of late.
8.30.2006 | By -cja
Chris, glad someone appreciates the sarcasm, heh.
cja, more black metal’s on the way, of course, ha…
8.30.2006 | By Andrew Aversionline
have you got the new mirrorthrone? its been out for awhile but holy shit BM album of the year.
orr uh wolfshade - evening star, Defaillance - Desempare dans un monde agonisant, arcane necrosis - arcane necrosis, heresi - psalm II, and the new Xasthur is godly too
8.31.2006 | By Anonymous
a lot of the french black metal bands i’ve heard recently have definitely made me more a fan of the genre than i’ve probably ever been. on a few tracks on this release, like “Redeem Restless Souls,” I can hear a little bit of thrash, which is great. unfortunately a lot of these bands say really dumb stuff in their interviews.
9.8.2006 | By oliver
I wanted to check out this band but could not find any music to sample. Thanks a lot for your review. Now I’d really like to pick this up.
9.10.2006 | By Hororo