Album Review: Vermörd - Nostalgic Predictions
Reviewed by Sam Jones
I think if you were to ask Vermord their feelings on this record, they’d likely say Nostalgic Predictions was a very long time coming. Formed way back in 2013 out of Maryland, United States, the band have been at this for quite some time starting right from the word Go with a Demo released in the same year. We soon saw an EP released in 2015 titled Dawn Of The Black Harvest before being summarily followed by a Single in 2016, however that’s where the Vermord story ended after the band broke up in 2017. But come 2019 and the band’s desires to play are reignited with a teasing Single seeing the light of day by 2021, and finally nearly a decade in the making the band announced they would be releasing their first full length work titled Nostalgic Predictions. It's perfectly acceptable, I think, to see this as a fresh and new start for the band. This really is their opportunity to get their name out there and not only show off what they’re made of, but also to prove that their reunion meant something. I’ve done one or two blackened death metal works lately so I felt I could add another to my roster. This is Vermord’s first album.
There’s a curious introduction here. Usually I’m indifferent to intro-specific tracks however Vermord have done well to make it not only brief but also atmospheric. Utilising an eerie string section, they evoke this sense of the macabre before getting under way with the goods you’ve come to listen to. What struck me pretty much out of the gate is the impact their riffs hit you with. The production is pretty unrefined and old school, bringing to mind the black metal aesthetic of the early 90s which in turn amplifies the strength these riffs manage to hit us with. While the band implement more intricate guitar playing throughout the record, the general riff slabs that populate this album come down with dense weight. It’s this back and forth implementation of riff styles that really helps to give Vermord a rather unique stance amidst blackened death metal or whatever they choose to be identified as. The form of riffs from time to time also imply a legitimate technicality to their playing, of which technical black metal is a very niche style but it’s something that can be applied to Vermord with exquisite ease.
While all these riffs and approaches to guitar playing are going on, we’ve then got the drums doing all they can to keep us engaged and on the same rhythm as the band are playing at. The riffs and freeform guitar work may change and alter in tempo here and there, but the drums really manage to keep you in the fray and engaged with the band at all times. You’ve got your blast beats and double bass drumming going on as you’d like, happily raising the intensity when required yet, we shouldn’t think this is the only positive the drums infer. Those more intricate segments don’t merely fall flat or drop away from our engagement primarily because the drums, bolstering a decent bass thud and a compact sounding Tom-Tom strike as well, are forever blistering away in the background when the band tend to strip elements back a touch when these technical riff sections take place. Granted the drums won’t do anything you haven’t heard before, but it’s how the drums have been positioned within the mix that makes all the necessary impact on our enjoyment. Remove the drums or take away their place amidst the guitar work, and it would sound empty and void. The drums are here for a good reason, and it makes all the difference.
I enjoyed the differing timbres of the vocal deliveries. On one hand you’ve got the typically expected banshee vocals of black metal, which aren’t too scathing for a nice change, and then you have a more death metal-reminiscent delivery that really manages to convey that gruff performance with a strong hint of bass at the back of the throat. I’m not a gigantic fan of the classic black metal vocals so to hear something like what Vermord showcase is a breath of fresh air. I found their blackened vocals worked because they were able to imbue their songwriting with visceral tones without needing to shove it down your throat so when the death metal side comes into play, it doesn’t feel like a mercy is being applied. The band are able to apply the two differing deliveries together seamlessly and, while we can identify the two deliveries as alternate to one another, it’s not like they feel so completely different to each other that it’s like two explicit vocal tracks. It’s one sound that manages to bind together the two vocal forms, effortlessly merging with the guitar tone and atmosphere the band invoke. That isn’t easy to pull off but Vermord champion that for every minute they’re playing.
The ferocity the band are able to bring us something to behold at times. We’ve covered how the band will unfold great slabs of riffs whilst also demonstrating their keen ability to instil a variety of more intricate sections, yet it’s when the band are coming for your throat at full force that their potential truly swells. There are periods during this record where you’ll feel your eyes pushed back into your skull with how much power they’re bringing down on you. The vocals, drums and riffs all coming at you at once is bolstered by that unrefined production that has managed to render everything with a dirty sheen, one that manages to scab the rest of the band’s performance. By doing so, the band are hailing you with all the rough malice and cacophonous fury they can muster. More impressively is our ability to still maintain a coherence of what is happening around us; it isn’t merely some wild maelstrom we’re flung into but something whereby we have full control of our senses and understand what is going on. Vermord, even during their most ruthless moments, never lose their audience.
In conclusion, I was really taken aback as to how much I ended up loving this debut record by Vermord. It’s a work of blackened death metal that manages to perfectly tread that thin line between the two forms of extreme metal to give us something that’s really difficult to separate. Vermord are capable at competently balancing the minute pieces with the grand, far vaster deliveries of riffs and tone that devastate and ruin you. As mentioned prior the band may not be doing anything new, but it’s the way they’ve managed to handle the production and mix and songwriting that has made all the difference with this record. Seeing how this record was such a long time in the works I hope the boys behind Vermord are proud, for this is a stellar record that is going to have fans of black and death metal equally clamouring for repeated listens. In addition, with thirteen tracks including that introductory piece, the album never feels like it’s overstaying it’s welcome even when the majority of its runtime consists of songs of similar length. There are never any wishes for the band to move on. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this album and wouldn’t say No to seeing more material from these guys in the future.
