Signeri emerges from the forest.
Formed in Sweden, the band comprising Michael Brander (vocals/bass), Ulf Olars (guitar), Lars Bergfält (guitar) and Jonas Arnberg (drums/orchestrations) signs to ViciSolum Productions for the release of its debut album, Signeri.
Darkness Embrace immediately draws us into its cold, melodic tornado, but the macabre vocal parts soon join in, darkening the mix between two heady harmonies. A certain melancholy sets in, but Legion Strong breaks it up with heavier, more ominous tones that sometimes metamorphose into visceral fury that keeps the anguish within its riffs, even the most playful and catchy. We continue with the haunting Doom-tinged riffs of Setting Fire to Worthless, which features a bit of clean vocals to counterbalance the growls, but the two eventually unite to let the throbbing rhythm hypnotize us before Haxa unveils its majestic but still rather slow coldness. Brass instruments come into play to embellish the march, which also features a few backing vocals before joining the moody Shedding Skin, where Black Metal influences give a sharper edge to the leads. There are a few slower passages, but the darker notes come back to energize the rhythm, leading us to Nightfire, a slightly more pared-down but quite dissonant track that constantly feeds its sonic haze with more imposing passages that dissolve later. The Sulphur Brigade of the Morning Star begins by intriguing us with a few notes, but the sound ignites and becomes bewitching, even allowing itself some clean sound and a few percussions before a majestic final that reaches Hills Painted Red’s quietude, first clean then saturated and carefully crawling around us with a few more intense moments until it finally disappears.
For a debut album, Signeri already has a marked sonic identity! Borrowing from Melodic Death, Black and Doom, Signeri is a versatile album that never ceases to surprise!
85/100