Second EP for Perdition’s Mire.
Entitled Into a Dark Heartland, it follows its predecessor released last year and created by Jens Bendtsen Pedersen (vocals, Cerekloth, The Vein, ex-Church Bizarre…), Simon Skaarup (guitar/bass, ex-Serpent Saints) and Lasse Wind (drums). It will be released digitally in mid-2024, followed by a physical version at the end of the year via Headkick Music.
Ralf Rendings played keyboards.
Pale Light and Settling Dust is the first to envelop us in its dissonant haze, before the menacing vocal parts kick in. Harmonics respond and lull us to sleep, while the vocalist adds an aggressive touch to the oppression that continues even when the rhythmic pattern subsides, giving way to the heavy Embers, whose fury flows steadily. Vocal eruptions punctuate the heavier moments, almost borrowing from Sludge, while the leads remain ominous, leading us effortlessly into Light Torn Asunder, which allows us a moment’s pause before exposing us once again to its surging darkness. Vocals become unhealthy again and the guitar more screechy, but the sound remains coherent and follows this continuity with mystical precision to reach Abomination’s Boundless Rage where the musicians literally unleash themselves and integrate Black/Death influences. The track is quite short, but it’s comparable to a real eruption, where each element is abrasive in its own way, creating a contrast with the crystalline opening moments of Nothing Is, Nothing Becomes. The band welcomes Sod (Ligfaerd) on vocals, adopting a heavy, funereal Old School approach, but also rare moments where the sound becomes fatter, while it’s with a haunting sound that Into A Dark Heartland closes the EP, revealing majestic passages that make us lose track of time and where each strike sinks us a little further into this ocean of intoxicating apathy.
Although short, this second EP from Perdition’s Mire has a real identity. Rooted in the Old School roots of Black Metal, Into A Dark Heartland draws on a wide range of influences to create a captivatingly diverse sound.
95/100