Let’s perpetuate the legend of Eremit.
Formed in Germany in 2015, the band comprising Moritz Fabian (vocals/guitar, Dragged), Marco Baecker (drums) and Pascal Sommer (guitar) announced the release of Wearer of Numerous Forms, their third album, on Fucking Kill Records in 2023.
The trio asked Nightjar Illustration (AKA Adam Burke, known for the covers of Angel Witch, Creeping Death, Evoken, Gatecreeper, Hath, Hooded Menace…) and Hendrik « Brede » Bredemann (trumpet) to complete the album.
Although it’s not unusual to find very long tracks in Doom, and especially in Funeral Doom, Eremit have hit the nail on the head with their three tracks, totalling over two hours of listening time. Conflicting Aspects of Reality begins with the band letting chaos have its way, covering its riffs with devastating, incredibly heavy saturation for an extremely violent first part, before the musicians let us enjoy their riffs with slowness again. Everything about this track calls for the heaviest darkness, whether it is muffled screams, massive rhythm or ethereal leads which occasionally escape. More virulent explosions punctuate the sound mass, as does an ominous trumpet whose intervention is as icy as it is terrifying, then vocals become more plaintive before the atmosphere calms down with this long, airy, mysterious pause. Saturation resurfaces to oppress us once more, sometimes accompanied by feedback between two haunting notes, which eventually accelerate to lead us to the anarchic final, in which guitars finally fade away.
Entombed immediately takes over, coupling thick bold riffs with impressive screams and more dynamic drum parts, sometimes recalling Sludge influences before slowing down again. The rhythm section also catches fire once more, gradually erasing the sluggishness in which the band lets us be choked before letting us get stuck in it again, leading us to Passage of Poor Light, the last of the three tracks, which unveils its heavy atmosphere with ominous tones followed by a soothing melody which gradually intensifies. A few percussive beats disturb the quietness, guiding into saturated riffs and wild acceleration, before slowing down again to reveal impressive pachydermic tones, haunted by vocal parts. Calm returns for a while, but saturation will darken it twice again, followed by devastating accelerations before a hazy final.
With their previous releases, Eremit had set the bar very high, offering ethereal mysterious Funeral Doom with a Sludge veil, but the band proves with Wearer of Numerous Forms that they can go even further, offering a true monument.
95/100