Artist: Nephrolith
Label: Self-released
Release date: 2009
Running time: 26:37
Rating: 4/5
We’ve got the first recordings from Slovenian black metallers Nephrolith right in front of us. In less than a year of existence, they’ve already wowed plenty of people with excellent live shows, and now they’ve served up their first demo, released under the name Vinsketh.
Even at first glance, the release looks really high-quality, coming with a four-panel sleeve that has the lyrics and the current lineup. The lyrics don’t stray beyond the usual black metal territory, mostly dealing with nature, darkness and death. In short, the classic themes of this extreme genre.
The opening Intro takes care of an excellent ambient journey through the recordings, built mostly from sounds that come straight from nature. A touch of acoustic guitar provides the backdrop too, slotting nicely into the composition. But soon after the intro it becomes clear that Nephrolith aren’t purely acoustic-minded. By the second song, the excellent electric guitars come into their own, forming the melodic foundation together with the drums, of course, and conjuring up a true picture of darkness. The vocals are interesting too, hovering somewhere between recitation and singing, with a sound that’s both rough and cutting. The only thing you could count as a minus is that the songs lack a well-ordered depth and width of sound. The bass drum and bass guitar don’t really come through, but overall Vinsketh outdoes the production of plenty of albums by bigger bands. The songs are dynamic and change rhythms a lot, and I’d also welcome an acoustic interlude in the song Subsistance of Decease. Those used to be much more common in black metal than they are today, so you can tell the guys aren’t just pouring out surplus energy measured in drum speed when they write music. I’d also point out the very symbiosis between the ambient moments and the transitions into mid-tempo black metal, all of which are excellently pulled off. Above all, they don’t feel too harshly chopped off and don’t spoil the ambience the acoustics create.
I really hope Nephrolith will record a full album soon, because the Vinsketh demo is an excellent showcase of what the band is capable of.
Lineup
Nerthag – vocals
Navtyr – drums
Skargart – guitar
Isvaroth – guitar
Tersagir – bass guitar
Track list
1.Intro (02:05)
2.The Forest of Obscurity (05:13)
3.Vinsketh (06:45)
4.Death’s Divination (06:03)
5.Subsistance of Decease (06:31)
