In a realm as talented and bountiful in willing musicians as modern black metal, it’s only a matter of time before already-accomplished musicians start seeking each other out to craft new experiences that are nothing to be looked down upon. There is but only one question that’s to be had whenever we contemplate such a thing: who is it that will be crafting that new experience? With all the talent in question here for this brand new herald of true darkness, I don’t think there should ever be any doubt as to the quality of the new act. What catches me, however, is how compelling Merihem already is right out of the gate.

Don’t get me wrong, seeing new material like this coming from the same people behind bands like Suffering Hour, Manetheren, Half Visible Presence, and others who have been names in the depths of black metal that have never been ones to pass up. There is always an element of evil and heresy in proper works of black metal that really know what they’re doing, but it’s in every way that Merihem wanted to make it fantastically clear with their debut album that the quintet was hellbent on delivering a performance that maximized that very ideal. Right from the very title of “Incendiary Darkness”, it doesn’t take much to realize they succeeded. Not a single second of these five tracks, born out of harrowing rituals to the darkest night, waste any time whatsoever in delivering their perpetual curse upon all of creation with the delivery of the vast swathe of the album keeping it all just as simple as it is diabolical. The very pull of the record feels downright evil in its intent with it slowly seducing the listener as “Incendiary Darkness” weaves its dark spells one track after another to really capture the listener in its place, caught up in a spellbind that is as complete as the record is unyielding.

We’ve seen tons of creations like this over the years with throngs of names trying to really bring an evil nature back into what they bring to the table for black metal, but few can compare to what Merihem has accomplished here. The very seeds that are sown here with all that is “Incendiary Darkness” is nothing whose fruits should not be denied in any form, for this is just the very first harvest from a band that surely will come back to reap time after time.

“Incendiary Darkness” releases on June 17th via I, Voidhanger Records!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “Incendiary Darkness” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Merihem on Facebook here.