Who would tell thirty years ago that Black Metal would be the avant-guarde in terms of Metal music? No one, I guess. In the 1980s Black Metal was synonim of raw, not well played music, almost childish. It was reason for mockery. The worst; who would ever imagine a Black Metal band mixing such elements symphonic or progressive. I confess that I really would not. Further, I would never get really excited to get a Black Metal effort to review. Now I go bananas. Ironic, huh?
This Naeramarth’s “The Innumerable Stars” is a memorable effort. Before the epic and uncanny intro, what drives most the attention is the vocal duet between the clean and the gutural voices. To me this the pantheon of heavy music. I just love this contrast. It just give the artist the opportunity to express a wider range of emotions, not only the plastic happiness that pop music obliges most. Some will say it misses the spontaneous rawness that is the most appreciated characteristic of BM, but what it gains is bigger. Take “Luminous Beings” for instance. There is a saxophone in it! Who would ever tell? And by the way, how about the song title? Are we talking about an unblack metal band? No, I do not think so. “The Innumerable Stars” is a step forward.
What “The Innumerable Stars” misses in rawness, it gains in elegance. The one-man project Naeramarth added lots of elegance and finesse in “The Innumerable Stars.” It means a lot. Another highlight to Naeramarth’s “The Innumerable Stars” is the lyrical aspect. No more hell-devil-more hell lyricism. No, sir. Lyrics in Naeramarth are about many subjects in “The Innumerable Stars,” bringing it to a more human level. Ok, I did miss faster, louder, and raw tracks, but again, the outcome is great. We can let it go. Maybe in another effort. Here is the tip to Naeramarth to get closer to perfection. It is only my opinion. With it and ten bucks you are able to buy the physical Naeramarth cd.
Track Listing:
- Through the Cosmos I- Event Horizon
- Asterisms
- Condescension
- Cabed Naeramarth
- Luminous Beings
- Subterranean
- Lunar Sea
- Through the Cosmos II- The Arrival
Watch “Luminous Beings” official video here:
I’m just a lucky guy who has chosen metal to live with for a long time. Metal changed my life for good. It made me more confident and stronger. Metalheads are naturally far away from the mass mediocrity and don’t accept impostures from anybody else. Metal is more than music, it’s a life changing oportunity!