Nefarium - Haeritichristus
Agonia Records
Black Metal
9 songs (34'57")
Release year: 2008
Agonia Records
Reviewed by Alex

I am sure I am not the only one who never heard of Nefarium. But one look at the corpsepaint and the cover art, and one read through the lyrics booklet and I knew what I am in for. Satanic, blasphemous, uncompromising black metal. Nefarium not only look the part, they play it too.

The good news here is that I have absolutely nothing bad to say about Haeretichristus. Everything is done in accordance with the Swedish school of black metal thought. Nefarium horde hails from Italy, but you could swear there is Swedish blood roiling in those exposed veins. Blasting and tremolo drilling guitar riffs, dizzying fast speed destroying everything in its wake, dry cackle of Carnifex’s not-so-repulsive vocals, Dark Funeral and Marduk have left a profound unerasable Norsecore stamp on Nefarium. And wouldn’t you know, Chaq Mol (Dark Funeral) and Infaustus (Setherial) are making guest appearances on Haeretichristus. Indeed, the black Swedish penetration on this planet is very well seen from afar.

The more unfortunate news is that I have absolutely no argument why you should pick this one up over latest Dark Funeral or Gorgoroth outputs. No question, this stuff takes profound skill to play and Carnifex/Adventor team is in fine form. The trouble is this style is beat up into a dead pulp by now, not to mention that even within the style confines Haeretichristus has little distinction going from one song to the next. More harmonious and openly melodic, but still tortuous, tracks like The Damned Descent and the closer Episcopal Whip are the highlights of the album. All along, you are begging, pleading for something out of the ordinary, so even little things like short spoken samples, ominous Black Mass feeling in Sin of an Apostle, longing lead in Merchants of Hope or punky D-beat in An Old Black Cage are welcome change from the “norm”. Haeretichristus is like a good politician, never failing to get off message. Variation, in any form, melody or rhythm, could push this tome closer to the top of the heap, yet it is absolutely sparse on this album.

Alas, unless you really have to own every second tier Dark Funeral incarnation you can leave this one behind. Hell, it seems to me that I have seen even the corpsepaint applied this way somewhere before.

Killing Songs :
The Damned Descent, Episcopal Whip
Alex quoted 67 / 100
Other albums by Nefarium that we have reviewed:
Nefarium - Ad Discipulum reviewed by Charles and quoted 77 / 100
1 readers voted
Average:
 79
You did not vote yet.
Vote now

There are 1 replies to this review. Last one on Thu Apr 01, 2010 7:45 pm
View and Post comments