Mike Thall’s Review
WARNING – This album may cause Schizophrenia.Actually, slap that label on any Nemertines album and you may get an idea of solo artist Sabrin Scissor’s evil sound. And there are now officially thirteen Nemertines records (since 2009!) to back up the claim with the upcoming release of “Death, My Love” via the legendary Subliminal Groove Records. It will officially be available through iTunes and Bandcamp on March 21st, but you can listen to the whole thing right here, right now! Just look down.
Picture waltzing through a ballroom with your worst nightmares, surrounded by darkness and the impossible depths of insanity… only with 100x more heaviness and technicality. That’s the kind of image that may come to mind while listening to the evil that is “Death, My Love”.
In some ways, this record has a more melodic vibe than your usual Nemertines record, but it’s done in such an eerie, off-kilter way that the horrific beauty of it ensues. And you never know when the album will take a left turn into total heaviness or a terror filled sound scape. This is a part of what makes the whole experience so great. It’s often been claimed among us at The Circle Pit that Sabrin Scisscor is the master of “Horror Djent”. This album just serves as evidence as he switches up his style all while staying firmly planted in his roots.
This is truly the stuff of insane intelligence. From the horrifying genius of the soundscape opening “Eyes And Teeth” spanning to the peculiar heaviness of “Relationship” closing into eventual ambiance of “Mardröm” (Swedish for “Nightmare”) at the album’s end, this record is filled with greatness. I could describe all the tracks, including stand outs like “Sabrina Scissor The Sister”, “Opium”, and the single “A Needle Under The Nail”, but you should really just listen.
Especially if your one of those people who loves all things horror. In that case it’s just plain mandatory you get some Nemertines in your life.
I wouldn’t say there are any direct flaws with “Death, My Love”. Objectively, some of you may not enjoy the “djent” aspects of it or may find the momentum to be lacking at times, but it all serves as an intentional part of the eerie / heavy Nemertines sound. And it makes for an awesome sound indeed. Also, you have to give credit considering all of the above was created by a single man.
To state the obvious, Nemertines delivers with “Death, My Love”. If you wish to take a waltz with insanity, it’s recommended you listen above and pick up the record on March 21st \m/ Now excuse me and my anti-psychotic prescription.
Russian artist Sabrin Scissor is going to release his 13th studio album “Death, My Love” on March 21st through the Canadian record label, Subliminal Groove Records. The full album stream has already been uploaded on Subliminal Groove Youtube channel and we can already claim that this is one of Sabrin’s best creations, definitely one of the most uneven and original. This new release is 100% faithful to Nemertines renowned sound and style: heavy and dissonant guitars and an unbearably dark and cold atmospheres. Elements that only Nemertines is able to combine in such a deep and intense way. That’s exactly what makes him one of the most fascinating and unique artists in the world right now.
The album starts off with a long and creepy atmospheric intro called “Eyes And Teeth” which explodes after two minutes in a short, but crushing rhythmic section. The following tracks “Alive” and “Song Of Hope” are two typical Nemertines songs with both groovy and melodic segments while “Sleep” and “Deep Inside The Black Hole” end up being the two shortest tracks on the album packing some of the biggest melodies. So far, melody has had a relevant role in the album without failing to deliver heavy passages, groovy sections, ice-cold atmospheres, and even some really cool breakdowns. With the two following tracks, Nemertines literally decides to smash our faces with two of the heaviest pieces of the album, “Sabrina Scissor The Sister” and “Opium”. Expect heavy grooves and freezing soundscapes without giving up the melodic hints that keep enhancing the beauty of this album.
“94” is another short but heavy song, with a huge atmospheric effort delivered on synths. It serves as a perfect way to introduce the listeners to the following two tracks, being the singles released by Nemertines in late 2012 – “Masturbation” and “A Needle Under The Nail”. “The Birds Are Back” has a similar structure to the intro song “Eyes And Teeth”. It brings a long atmospheric interlude followed by a powerful guitar assault which leads us to the last two songs – the amazing “Relationship” (my personal favorite song off “Death, My Love”), easily one of the saddest and most intense songs of the album. It features really heavy guitar riffage and a dark mood which can easily remind one of the sound found on the best Nemertines album, being “Tenerezza”. The album ends with the song “Mardröm”, which is probably the one of the heaviest tracks on the amazing new Nemertines release. Beautiful music from a very talented artist. That’s simply what “Death, My Love” is all about.
