REVIEW: NEBRUS - BLACKERA (Black Metal, English)

Nebrus is a Black Metal band from Italy consisting of Mortifero and female vocalist Noctuaria, who also does the vocals for Urticant (in which Mortifero is also involved) and operates under the moniker Flusso Delirante Persecutorio. In their seven years of existence, the band seems to have taken their time to let their releases ripen. So far, they have done a demo, a split with Akerbeltz and Waffenträger Luzifers and a full-length album called “From the Black Ashes”. Furthermore, a new EP entitled “Blackera” has recently been released on CD by Schattenkult Produktionen. It features 6 tracks which add up to a play time of none less than 32 minutes and demonstrates the band's quality nicely.

The style of Black Metal Nebrus play on “Blackera” is dominated by the guitar work. Rhythmical chords and melodies are assembled into compositions that manage to situate themselves somewhere between hypnotizing and catchy without becoming monotonous. Although the aesthetics and sounds lean more towards typical Black Metal, it is probably not too far-fetched to see some analogies between Nebrus and some of the “orthodox” Black Metal formations.

Regarding pace, the material on “Blackera” is pretty varied, but the faster tracks seem to be larger in number. “Wolfpride” and “Heinous Communion”, for example, are almost thrashy in execution. Fast riffs and even faster drumming present Nebrus' style in a pretty upfront and powerful fashion which suits the tunes quite nicely. However, the strongest parts are clearly those in which the melodic qualities are embedded in mid-paced sludginess. The strongest contribution to the album is certainly the eponymous “Blackera”. Noctuaria's vocals blend in nicely with the overall fear and sound far from feminine.

All in all, “Blackera” by Nebrus is a solid Black Metal EP that doesn't really bring anything new to the table, but manages to present good standard. Recommended to those who like their Black Metal melodic and atmospheric.