Unverkalt :"Héréditaire"

 

Only missed this one by a week it's been on my radar, but jsut now catching up with Germany's Unverkalt. Setting the stage with a deceptive sense of melody before blasting into you. The melodic vocals are perhaps more intersting, but they work a delicate balance of playing to both sides of the band's dynamic range. Depressive more than it's blackened, the sonic weight of their songwriting impresses right from the first song, but can this band uphold the expectations set here?  

"Oath of Prometheus" finds the drums blasting in as the undercurrent trying to take control. The harsher vocals are more focused on chaos, as the sung vocals wander. I am obviously the audience these guys are looking for, but it also means I am more well versed in this sort of thing, so I can hear the influences a mile away on the second, but it still works well enough for me. The more they blast, the less impressed I am by the storm of sound, and I want to hear more melody. "Anae Lithi" finds the melodies winning out and giving this more depth than the more feral strains of black metal.

The sense of melody leans it away from black metal altogether on "A Lullabye for the Descent", but it's dark and moody enough to still win me over despite all the layers of vocals wrestling against one another. It makes me think of 90s bands like Crisis. There is a more black metal tension to "Prenumbrian Lament". One vocal color Dimitra often uses is a whisper little girl like voice. It's creepy enough to work. Often these are given a roaring death metal male counterpoint thanks to their guitarist Eli. 

With "Introjects," things begin to move in a more accessible metal direction, which carries over into "I, the Deciet," which features Sakis Tolis from Rotting Christ. "Death is Forever" finds some intersting sound layered in a more intense black metal manner, but without some of hte structure of the previous songs.  The last song works off more of an emotional atmosphere, which is more dramatic than depressive. Overall, this album is an impressive marriage of sound into well balaned songs I will give this a 9.5.Out on Season of Mist. 

pst91