Numenorean blew me away in 2014 off the strength of their demo and I've been waiting patiently for the ritual that would be their first proper full length. This is a band who understand the spirit of black metal in a way that few of their peers would ever bother. In a year where black metal, for better or for worse seems to increasingly head towards the 'pretty' on has to wonder if the genre is going to forget its roots. Numenorean use Home to create something that simultaneously hearkens back to the roots of the genre and shows us a way forward - a punishing reminder that there is a beautiful future for this genre and that we can build towards a triumphant tomorrow.
I have always loved black metal at its most primal - when it speaks from the heart and shows its most human side. The desperate, very human bellows that punctuate the bridge of a song like Thirst are a perfect example of this. They show us that Numenorean are screwed up dudes like you and me. They are dudes who want to find a way forward, but only really know how to play fast guitars and make gross noises with their faces. Yet within that their songwriting has led to something strangely beautiful. Numenorean understand black metals modern obsession with beauty and with their passion for ugliness have created a whole new world.
Home is exactly that. It circles back and locates our roots. It finds the basis of a genre that changed all of our lives, and it reminds us why we came to black metal in the first place. Home is an album that speaks to the power of black metal - the fact that it can take any form and that it can be both incredibly pretty and disgustingly vast. Numenorean have touched my heart, they have built on the promise of their demo and with this Season Of Mist release reached for the stars. This is a band who remind us that black metal is the way, the truth and the life.
Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/Numenoreanofficial/?fref=ts
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