DEUS MORTEM - Emanations of the Black Light (2013)

Genre: Black Metal

Label: Strych Productions

Rating: 6.5/10

Deus Mortem dedicated their debut LP to the memory of Trondr Nefas. Drummer I. is also in another Polish band, whose name shall go unmentioned here. He used to play live guitar for Deus Mortem; I am not sure if this is anymore the case. At any rate, he does a very solid job drumming on this release, as usual. He maintains a sort of background presence, ostensibly so that N. can respectably run his band the way he wants to.

The chord shape that N. uses for the first minute and a half or so of "Into the Forms of Flesh (Rebirth)" is a little odd, somewhat bright sounding, and I do not think it really fits. However, once the song picks up, it moves into more standard Black Metal territory. There is an excellent, tasteful guitar solo, and then palm-muted tremolo picking kicks in. The vocals are very fitting. After this verse, a bridge with another excellent guitar solo kicks in. The guitar solos sort of remind me of Jon Nödtveidt's, they're that tasteful. The speed never really drops on this album. "It Starts to Breathe Inside" is a better song, in my opinion: more violent drumming, better range in the vocals, catchier riffs. It has a more standard guitar solo, but, oddly enough, something like Trondr might've done in Urgehal. After the solo comes a riff that is golden. It then returns to the "chorus" riff. It returns to the golden riff, and then has a slow, harmonised solo. That riff closes out the song.

The third track is called "Receiving the Impurity of Jeh." It sounds like something one could expect to hear off of De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas; it's arguable who is the better drummer. There's actually some clean singing on this track; the voice is not the greatest. He doesn't suck, but it is my fervent hope that he sticks to distorted vocals henceforth. At any rate the ending to this song is phenomenal. Next up is "The Shining," the opening riff is actually quite interesting. This song is the best so - wait a minute... these Silencer-like screams don't exactly fit... The guitar riff that follows that helps wash the mouth out, however (For transparency's sake, I happen to love Silencer, I just don't want to hear those vocals by anyone else, especially in Satanic Black Metal). There's a pretty neat clean guitar section that closes the song...unfortunately it was the closing riff... Then a little number called "The Harvest."  It appears this is a fast one, but it doesn't have much more going for it than that. Some evil flourishes, but the solo leaves me waiting for the next song. "Ceremony of Reversion (part 1)" makes up for its predecessor's transgressions (in that it's actually interesting). Fitting that the terminal song is darker than the rest of the album. In fact, I think it might be the best song of the album. The chorus is excellent. It's not too long, either, so it is really just the right length.

I was hoping for more, giving I.'s tastes and what I had heard of Deus Mortem in live videos before this album came out. It was cool to see I. on guitar for once. Anyway, in another time, another century, I may have fallen head over heels in love with this album, but my tastes have refined since then. The best thing about this album is, of course, the drums.

If you wish to obtain a physical copy, you'll have to stalk Discogs or ebay. Good luck.