Noise Trail Immersion - Womb

Tracklist:-

1. Border

2. In Somnis

3. Light Eaters

4. Placenta

5. Womb

6. Organism

7. Hypnagogic

8. Tongueless

9. Birth

There's a train of thought that exists where people believe they can tell a lot about a person based on the music they listen to and the arts that they enjoy. It's none more prevalent than amongst those looking inwards towards heavy music and punk. Excluding the "elitists", we're a pretty open minded bunch but then I suppose it comes with territory, especially when we can find solace and beauty in the most discordant and heavy pieces. This leads me on to Italian black-math band Noise Trail Immersion, who themselves exist in a scene that's amongst the most forward-thinking in the world. They formed in 2013, releasing their "self-titled" album a year later. In November 2016 came "Womb" and with it a wider audience thanks to a physical CD release via Triton's Orbit and a digital release via Moment Of Collapse (Downfall Of Gaia, Dawn Ray'd, Cloud Rat etc). 

With black metal becoming ever more challenging, it’s little wonder that it goes hand in hand with mathcore as genre lines get blurred beyond recognition. Noise Trail Immersion takes energy and influence from much of extreme music and album opener Border is an ambient nightmare with white noise and deep screams enveloping the listener. They break loose properly on In Somnis, which uses dissonant experimental guitar work, progressive time-signatures and subtle hardcore to craft a sound that seeks your full attention. There’s a lot going on throughout “Womb” but somehow NTI doesn’t let their forward march get lost amongst overly lengthy songs. Light Eaters is surprisingly short and because of that it contains more impact. The lead guitar melody belays the technicality of the song and almost become entrancing. The same can be said about Placenta, which has a wall of sound that may remind you of some of the more high profile tech-minded bands currently doing the rounds. That’s not a disparaging comparison though as NTI proves that heaviness can be beautiful without being watered down. The title-track is altogether different, borrowing from the ambience of Border while slowly churning away with haunting noise that fades in and out atop of gentle whispered vocals. It lulls you into a false sense of security before the second half of the album takes hold. After the title-track’s veritable silence, Organism is a bit of a jolt with it’s driving rhythms and furious attack. There’s more of a straightforward feel to the song and even a slight accessibility. Song-writing is often ignored and replaced by a sense of competitiveness amongst technical bands, but here you don’t get that feeling. The jarring guitar that closes Organism spills over onto Hypnagogic, which is a sub two-minute piece of genius. The repeating riff during the song’s first half leads to a pulsating piece filled with instrumentation and vocals in complete orchestral flow. It would be perfect set amongst a backdrop of darkness, smoke and strobes for a full sensory overload. Penultimate song Tongueless is as brutal and as mind-bending as NTI gets. No time for noodling here, just intense battery and musical skill. The crackle that lurks behind the guitar on album closer Birth is endearingly effective. The song itself is an instrumental journey for much of it’s playing time with vocals used sparely. That’s one quality that I’ve noticed when listening to “Womb”. NTI don’t let the vocals overpower the music or the recording itself, making it a truly immersive record. Brilliant.

You can stream "Womb" and purchase it digitally and on CD below:-

Noise Trail Immersion Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/NoiseTrailImmersion
Triton's Orbit Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/tritonsorbit/
Moment Of Collapse Records Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/momentofcollapse