December 31, 2012

Haemoth - In Nomine Odium

By Natalie Zina Walschots. It has been six years since French black metallers Haemoth released an album, and by the sound of things, they spent every second of that time nursing a simmering fury. From the opening moments of "Odium," crackling energy
By Natalie Zina Walschots. Originally published by Exclaim.


It has been six years since French black metallers Haemoth released an album, and by the sound of things, they spent every second of that time nursing a simmering fury. From the opening moments of "Odium," crackling energy pours off the album like a heat haze.

The production is ugly, as much black metal is, but deliberately so, full of buzz and blare that snarl in the listeners' ears and are as much a part of the instrumentation as the hissing vocals or ominous, blaring riffs. The treble is turned up incredibly high, giving everything a metal-on-metal harshness that sounds like red-hot filings burrowing into your eardrums.

In terms of mood, intensity and sound quality, In Nomine Odium is an unqualified success. The riff structures tend towards the repetitive side, without a lot of variation or surprise. "Spiritual Pestilence" shakes things up the most; it's an instrumental with a slower, looming rhythm and thoroughly unsettling composition. If you're looking to drink some nihilistic tincture, the indiscriminate hate of In Nomine Odium is exactly what you're waiting for.

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