Back into Neolith’s darkness.
After seven years of silence, the Polish band led by Levi (vocals), Conrad (guitar), Zi’aR (guitar/backing vocals), Kriss (bass/backing vocals), and Semuss (drums) has signed with Deformeathing Production for the release of its sixth album, Inbir.
The album gets off to a strong start with title track Inbir, the first display of warlike ferocity in which the band unleashes its full power while also incorporating a few majestic samples to amplify its impact. The dark elements perfectly complement both the violence and the more ethereal touches, lending Ashur Has Given Me a Brother a more sinister and chaotic feel, particularly during the lead guitar passages. We still have the martial edge of the rhythm section, just as on The Dawn is Waking, which takes over and forcefully sweeps us into the heart of the charge led by the five unbridled musicians, who unleash jagged riffs sometimes packed with hypnotic harmonics. Once again, the blood-curdling solo serves as a climax before giving way to the mystical Modlitwa na Marny Czas, which grants us a moment of respite with its incantations that precede successive waves of violence. The track will be perfect for leading the charge in a live setting, thanks in particular to the various backing vocals that provide a certain diversity amid the violence which is amplified tenfold on Of All the Gods, drawing on the best of Black and Death Metal to provoke an irresistible urge to join in the unholy fervor. The dissonance allows the quiet passages to retain an oppressive feel, as heard on Ouroboros with its ethereal harmonics that first carry our minds away before pounding them under the weight of rage – and, in certain passages, sheer heaviness. We quickly move on to The Four Etemmu of Kurnugi, which takes the place of its predecessor with a massive and aggressively intense approach, manifested in blast beats and double-pedal rolls over which the riffs lacerate us alongside the roars, then the album concludes with Morte, offering a much slower and heavier approach despite the frenzied drumming, but which weaves together the album’s most melodic sections before finally fading away.
Neolith was completely unknown to me at the time, but Inbir packs an incredible punch, and any fan of Black/Death Metal simply must give it a listen. Violence is skillfully intertwined with mysterious, intoxicating, and at times even trippy elements to create a devastating sound.
90/100
