To celebrate their ten years, Ad Nauseam delivers a second album.
The band’s origins however can be found in 2002, under the name of Kaos, then from 2003 to 2011 under the name of Death Heaven, with an album. Six years after their first album under their current name, Matteo B. (bass), Andrea S. (drums, ex-Helvete, ex-Via Dolorosa), Matteo G. (guitar, Continuum of Xul, ex-Hellish God) and Andrea P. (guitar/vocals/violin, ex-Reich) offer us Imperative Imperceptible Impulse.
What do you expect of this sophomore album? Death Metal with dissonant Black influences, strong technicality and oppressive sound? You won. Six tracks of an occult and dark Death Metal, for nearly an hour of mad saturation, suffocating ambience, possessed howlings and lumbering heaviness illustrated by Vama Marga (Depths Above, Terra). The band connects piercing parts, heavy rhythmic and terrifying atmosphere in order to captivate us and disturb us, beginning with Sub Specie Aeternitatis. The haunting tones collide, as well as on Inexorably Ousted Sente, of which rare breaks announce an impending comeback of their measured art. Coincidentia Oppositorum, the longest track, will strain the more experienced melomanes’ nerves, and I will mainly notice this acceleration of which as expected as surprising explosion suddenly crushes us. Once again, the rhythmic calms down, resumes and vocals unveils interesting aspects, while Imperative Imperceptible Impulse, the eponymous song, is a new dangerously addictive cocktail of blackness, stirring riffs and deep howlings. Anew, scary and heady sounds predominate with Horror Vacui, a song that alternates terror and pure oppression with violence, and some times of a dark quietness, then it is with Human Interface To No God that the band ends this album. A first part of uncontrollable violence, that links fast-paced riffs, clapping bass and blast beat, then it’s a soft and worrisome final that allow us to catch our breath again.
Ad Nauseam’s first album was critically acclaimed, and there is no doubt that Imperative Imperceptible Impulse will be too. Violence, oppression rage, dissonance and an unholy musicianship are on the bill.
95/100