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Rmest / Sordida Nox – Split
Label: Nigra Mors
Date: September 9, 2018.
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I have recently gotten a new package with fresh releases by Nigra Mors, a label from Galiza, land just north of Portugal, and the first CD I have put to action came as a huge surprise! Split release between two Galizian bands. Well, one-man project Rmest and Sordida Nox. By the way, good luck finding any info on these bands online. I have spent hours without success. All I know about these bands is connected to Sordida Nox, which I have reviewed before. I can only guess one band member, since the pseudonym Nocturna Disharmonika Pestilentia sound a lot like a friend of mine, who released the album.
Be that as it may, the music still holds much more importance than the individuals behind it. And the first thing I heard was Rmest. I would like to shortly classify them (or him) as Neoclassical Industrial Metal. Unusual combination, you must agree. Brilliantly composed mixture, nonetheless. Only two songs unfortunately, but still enough to evaluate the effort as excellent! The two genres mentioned above take turns in the “drivers’ seat” of the compositions, complementing each other and creating a rich atmosphere. It seems to me that the cover artwork is also set to the tunes of their music, much more than to their counterparts on this split. Armesto, the leader of the project, managed to make his songs into a journey which, much like a fairytale, leads through all sorts of predicaments, just to sail away into an optimistic finale. Another thing that left me wandering a bit is that I’m not sure how much of it is actually played live, and how much is programmed on a computer. Armesto is not credited for any instrumentation. Curious, but still doesn’t make the recording any less worthy. Oh, I forgot to mention, both tracks are instrumental. Not a single word is spoken. It leaves much to the imagination.
Sordida Nox is much more straightforward with their music. Much darker as well. Their Noisy Doom Metal leaves no room for a bright side. Such heavy, oppressive atmosphere is imposed on the listener that it must leave a scar. Especially if you pick the right time to click play. Black Metal traces are present at times, but left in the background as a supplement, just in case the darkness wasn’t overwhelming enough for you. Negative emotions swarm to the heart, only strengthened in those disturbing Noise segments. Sordida Nox didn’t leave much space, if any, for technical brilliance by the musicians. The music is fairly primitive, thus creating a flat-line of pure negative atmosphere. The Galizian trio does use crude vocals to emphasize the feeling, however, you have the misfortune of having a reviewer who can’t speak the language.
In conclusion, you have here two absolutely noteworthy bands that deserve a closer inspection. Furthermore, you get a great cover artwork to sum it all up. You shouldn’t miss this release. I’m not sure, but Nigra Mors usually has a strict limit on their releases, so you should hurry up and order this one, just in case.
