NIRNAETH - From Shadow to Flesh - [2018] - Album Review by NPH - Rate 9/10

NIRNAETH
COUNTRY: FRANCE
GENRE: BLACK DEATH METAL


Cover design and artwork was prepared by Above Chaos.

NIRNAETH- "FROM SHADOW TO FLESH" - CD - 2018

Tracklist:
01. Dying of the day
The entity describes its genesis and its expectations within the Crater. It sets out its intentions.
02.Been There Before
The protagonist always makes the same dream where he wanders in the labyrinth of his memories. Through the cracks of one of the walls of the labyrinth he sees a well or hole - the Crater. Someone calls him for help. But when he finally reaches the Crater he sees nobody.
03. The Crater
The entity describes the Crater and the fascination it exercises over the protagonist, who can no longer dispense with contemplation. The Crater obsesses the protagonist.
04. Cursed
The protagonist begins to feel harassed by the entity. He no longer feels "master in its own house".
05. In Nomine Ego
The protagonist struggles to maintain control of his body. He no longer recognizes the echoes of his own voice.
06. Nihil In Me
Following the repeated assaults of the entity the protagonist decides to abandon his body. He prefers to die rather than let the entity control it.
07. Once A Shadow
The protagonist thought he was going to die: he now finds himself a prisoner in the depths of the Crater. The entity reveals itself, it was its reflection, its shadow. The final part is a palindrome for one of the guitars, symbolizing the transition between the protagonist and the entity.
08. Possession
The entity expresses its exaltation to take possession of a body.
09. Forgotten and chained
The protagonist describes his ordeal, chained to the bottom of the Crater.

RECORDING LINEUP:
ZIG - Screams
MUTILL - Guitars
MALARIA - Bass
MARBAS- Guitars
VAGORN - Drums

PRODUCTION/RECORDING:
Drums recorded by Phil Reinhalter at Psykron Studio
Guitars and screams recorded by Mutill at Aeternal Studio
Mixed and mastered by Deha at Forbidden Frequencies Studio



NIRNAETH  - From Shadow to Flesh - 2018 - Malpermesita Records
Genre: Black Death Metal

"(...) I confess I summoned you
Your presence comforted me at the start
Near the Crater I was so terrified
Now I am forgotten and chained inside" Forgotten and Chained | From Shadow to Flesh

THE BAND AND NEW ALBUM:
Nirnaeth French black death metal daemons have been haunting the underground extreme metal scene since 2002, conquering adepts with their black death metal creations ever since!
With the new and devastating album "From Shadow to Flesh", the bands 3rd full-length piece, the band aims for a even better exposure across this extreme metal universe, delivering an organic and aggressive conceptual piece of art!
France has already provided the Extreme Metal World with some of the best black metal sound since many years now, Nirnaeth are without a doubt another fine example of such competence but yet, sadly, too underrated!
The new opus "From Shadow to Flesh" is probably the most solid and mature piece by the band to the date, a turning point in the bands career and a ear catching piece of black metal art with the add of the right dose of death metal aggression and fearsomeness. Something that will please adepts of bands such as Lord Belial, Belphegor, Necrophobic, Dissection, Satyricon or even Immortal!
Nirnaeth sound is like the good wines, perfecting their blend and taste with the aging process, this French band is no different to that and the new album proves this theory right!
The bands previous obscure works of excellence by the title of "Thrown Athwart The Darkness" [2006] and "Splendour of the Abyss" [2009] have allowed the band to grow as well as to conquer and share stages with bands such as Obituary, Inquisition, Rotting Christ, Arkona, Nunslaughter, and more.

"From Shadow to Flesh" presents to us an obscure and twisted tale of depression, lack of control and possession. Here the protagonist aims to know the meaning of his life and his own quest while living it. The sense of higher entities beyond what the eye can reach is well present at this story, as well as the sense of what one should value while living his own life and which path he should take to achieve his greater goals. Good or Bad, his fate soon shall be sealed!
A quite interesting story to follow through the album lyrics that take this exquisite conceptual album to the next level. Holding the limited digipack with all the great art by Above Chaos (Inquisition, Susperia, Tjuder, etc.), reading the lyrics and the added quotes from remarkable notable like Edgar Allan Poe, Sigmund Freud, Barry Pain, etc. while listening to each song takes you deeper into this horrid eerie scenario where darkness reigns!
This is the bands first conceptual release and it brings out some of the bands best and most organic sound to the date, both aggressive and clear, here everything sounds right on each musical structure, the dark melodies fit perfectly on each decadent musical creation, a tormenting delight to ones ears!

TRACK-BY-TRACK:
Nirnaeth strong black death metal essence combined with death metal scorching elements should keep you captive since the beginning to the end of "From Shadow to Flesh", thanks to that uniform quality it's hard to pick up one or two best songs, so I decided to describe a bit of each track and how they caught my attention.
"Dying of the day" ignites the flames that will burn all across this piece of darkest art, a track of crescent tension that starts at best this conceptual piece.
"Been There Before" is a disturbing fast track upon a dark nightmarish atmosphere, this is a damn sick and twisted smashing track!
"The Crater" takes the listener into a frenetic wild ride in the darkest pits of hell... a twisted delicacy!
"Cursed" is a well balanced deviance that finds equilibrium on it's dark melodic variance, love this track dynamism!
"In Nomine Ego" is probably one of the albums best and most direct tracks of the whole piece, this, with some of the most ear catching frenetic extreme metal sound.
"Nihil In Me" track follows, and this is another fine example of the incredible balance between death and black metal elements combined in perfection.
"Once A Shadow" track sounds like a violent lash from the demons whip on your back, probably one of the best, most fierce and intense tracks of the whole album. The track ends with a delightful acoustic guitar "outro" that will take you into another realm of conscience... a moment of clarity!
"Possessed" is another demonical creation with a intense fatal formula.
"Forgotten and chained" which ends up this album is an epilogue that carries within it's length a very strong dark melancholic feeling, the ordeal of life's fragile art of existence. The track ends with an inspired as well as intense guitar solo that ends up this album in a delightful and impressive way!

THE CONCLUSION:
"From Shadow to Flesh" is without a doubt a step forwards on Nirnaeth path to recognition, with this new opus the band has set a mark of remarkable quality on French black death metal underground. No doubt the band had enriched their music with new elements and sound better than ever, more mature, organic and above all... solid as hell! This is a must check out album with a solid identity, where the modern extreme metal meets old fashioned sound, a delicacy for every black metal adept that wants the add of some death metal aggressiveness and strength to their music, an enriching extreme metal experience to all those who dare to check this Nirnaeth latest offer!
This is the first conceptual creation of the band and it ended up just sounding great, proving with it all the bands "savoir faire" (Know-how)!
"From Shadow to Flesh" is one of the best black death metal albums of 2018 to emerge from French soils! 

RüPä - NeKronos Promotion HELL

RATE: 9/10


"Nihil in Me" : Videoclip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V67cS5LF654



"Dying of the Day" : Live at Red Studio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_4foQutXiE



"From Shadow to Flesh" : Studio Report:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o08sTRW_6T4




MORE ABOUT NIRNAETH AT THIS LINKS:
OFFICIAL SITE: HTTP://WWW.NIRNAETH.COM
FACEBOOK PROFILE: HTTP://WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/OFFICIALNIRNAETH
YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/c/NirnaethOfficial
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/nirnaethofficial/ 
BOOKING / CONTACT : MUTILL@NIRNAETH.COM