One man experimental black metal act Zemial, which is the brainchild of Greek multi-instrumentalist Vorskaath, have been around since the late 1980s but it's been 7 years since their last platter of sonic mayhem, In Monumentum. The wait is over, as the brand new CD for Hells Headbangers NYKTA sees Zemial/Vorskaath throwing everything but the kitchen sink at the listener. This is by no means a one-dimensional album, as you get blasts of black metal, thrash, psychedelia, prog rock, space rock, and groove laden death metal. A tune like "In the Arms of Hades" mixes good old fashioned Motorhead with the avant-garde nature of Celtic Frost/Hellhammer, as well as some spacey Hawkwind for good measure. Fans of raging, vintage black metal will love the violence of "Deathspell", while lilting guitar chords, liquid lead lines, and spacey synthesizer permeate the alluring "The Small", which almost sounds like an old Pink Floyd or Eloy outtake. The near 15-minute "Pharos" tosses out black metal and intricate prog, making for one of the more unique tracks here.
The instrumentation is good good throughout, loose on the more chaotic pieces but adventurous on the psychedelic/prog styled tracks. Vocally, Vorskaath goes for screams, bellows, and rasps, and it all fits the mood of the songs, and while none of the guitar, bass, drums or keyboards stand out as 'virtuoso', I don't think it was meant to but the overall sum is greater than the parts. Pretty cool to hear some Moog & Mellotron in this type of music as well. Good stuff, and recommended if you have an appetite for avant-garde extreme metal material.
Track Listing
1) Ancient Arcane Scrolls
2) Eclipse
3) Under Scythian Command
4) In the Arms of Hades
5) Breath of Pestilence
6) Deathspell
7) The Small
8) Pharos
9) Out of the Cage
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