Nechochwen continues its path.
Created in 2005 in the United States by Aaron “Nechochwen” Carey (vocals/guitar/folk instruments, Coldfells…) and Pohonasin (bass/drums/choirs, Coldfells, Ironflame, ex-Moonthrone…), the band announces Kanawha Black, its fourth album, for 2022.
Kanawha Black, the eponymous song, offers us its energetic rhythmic to begin this journey. Whether some parts seem to be very cheerful, some others are ice-cold, very raw and filled with visceral howlings or very mild choirs which remind the NeoFolk influences. The sound continues with the catchy The Murky Deep and its heady acoustic tones, then saturation surface again, followed by an aggressive blast while keeping its softness, while I Can Die But Once reveals some blackness. Whispers slip into those airy harmonics, then some more intense parts while the song moves forward, before leaving us with A Cure for the Winter Plagues, a quite short song. Whether the sound is immediately very slow, it will be extremely haunting and melodic, letting majestic riffs drive us to Visions, Dreams, and Signs, a way more Old School and cold composition. The raw rage surfaces again into this fast-paced rhythmic with sharp Black Metal roots which does not put mystical Folk influences and the weighing dissonance aside, then a soft outro walks with us to Generations of War, an extremely contrasted composition. Whether the introduction is very soft, the rhythmic will anchor the song into blackness while adding soft and heady elements, but also more impressive parts accompanied by powerful screams. The album ends with Across the Divide, a long song which feeds once more the contrast between haunting riffs, soaring NeoFolk influences and complementary voices, between violence and appeasing quietness.
The universe of Nechochwen has two very complementary shades. On Kanawha Black, the aggressive riffs perfectly meet with soaring and very soft elements, like those howlings which easily let place to mystical choirs, shrouding the band into an epic and permanent veil of mystery.
85/100