Labels: Debemur Morti Productions
Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital
Release Date: 08 Feb 2019
Tracklist:
1. The Sublime
2. Autoimmunity
3. Eternal
4. Sound Over Matter
5. Joyless
6. Triiiunity
7. Babel
8. Reverso
9. Textures Of Silence
When members of one of Extreme metal's most forward-thinking bands embark on a new project, Its often hard to see past their main musical outlet. Yeruselem is a prime example of this as members Vindsval and W.D. Feld are well known for their time in one France's premier black metal bands Blut Aus Nord. They released their debut album "The Sublime" earlier this year via Debemur Morti Productions on various formats and if you were expecting something more familiar in sound, you may want to rethink your choices.
This is very much a journey into the unknown. Yeruselem open with the album’s title-track and after beginning with shattering ambience, the duo shifts forward into electronic/experimental territory filled with synths, beats, melody/hypnotic guitar riffs and clean singing. Not without its Eastern influence, it seems to gather up the many elements of France’s multicultural society along the way.
The hip-hop style rhythm of Autoimmunity is at odds with the unnerving post-punk blueprint that features heavily on the album. Very dystopian and barren, yet unshakably addictive at the same time. Drone and doom can be heard in subtle swathes amongst the song’s multiple layers. Crossing the barrier between ambient/noise and metal is a hard thing to do. As Eternal plays, it definitely reminds me more of Dalek than it does BAN. The former’s industrial soundscapes are mirrored here, albeit in less of an extreme way.
Yeruselem does take the odd moment to reflect with ambient interludes including Sound Over Matter, which is a very apt song title from a band that lets their instrumental prowess do the talking for them. Its obvious that their creativity is boundless on “The Sublime” and following that short moment of peace, Joyless stomps forth with big beats and harder riffs. Again, the vocals reside within the mix and that bares no effect on the compositions, as they were meant to be more engaging on different levels.
The funk is alive and well too as Vindsval’s bass squares up to more powerful synth beats on Triiiunity. It’s hypnotising, especially due to the never-ending vocal note that’s held during the first-half of the song and that reappears again after the mid-point, Patterns swirl as W.D Feld’s industrial pulses threaten to overrun things. Its hellish and contains the first glimpse of harsh vocals on the album, which fits its overall feel perfectly.
In fact the second half of the album feels heavier and more jarring as a whole. Comforting and soothing sections are still present but it seems that song-by-song, everything is building to a crescendo that could only lead to complete aural terrorism. Babel continues that trend. The crashing cymbals on penultimate song Reverso sound almost too organic to be synthesised. The repeating phrases of the song are far from simple in structure and the constant progression shines through.
There isn’t one specific genre with which you could categorise Yeruselem’s music. Its meant to be enjoyed as a standalone piece of art and boy does it standout. Its left to Textures Of Silence to whisk you off to a place so far removed from your own reality that you’ll struggle to make it back. “The Sublime” is breathtaking. The vision of both Vindsval and W.D. Feld is so bright that it shines over this release, that could well be one of the releases of the year.
You can stream and purchase "The Sublime" on all formats (though some are now extremely low in number) below:-
You can also purchase physical copies from Debemur Morti Productions below:-
Yeruselem - https://www.facebook.com/Yeruselemprojekt/
Debemur Morti Productions - https://www.facebook.com/debemurmorti/
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