Entry 269 - Verberis - Adumbration of the Veiled Logos

 

Apparently adumbration means the state of being in shadow or shade. That's an interesting choice of words since that would imply subtly in the music... of which there is none, at least not at first.

Verberis play dissonant black metal. The riffs show little adhesion to any type of melody, they only seem to exist to create chaos and create a cacophony of sound. The vocals are your standard black metal fare with maybe a hit of death metal on the lows. The drums are deceptively well done. They fit well with the music, however there are small little touches throughout that add flare to the music. It was only after I bought this record that I learned that Jamie Saint Merat was behind the kit... no wonder they sound masterful.

While the band is content to obliterate any sense of melody or traditional musical identity they also have another side which focuses more on ambience and subtlety. A vast majority of the album is complete insanity, however there are points where everything gets stripped away and quiet melodies play to a tranquil ambience. This was a bigger shock to me than any of the riffs that came before it, as most of the time music like this lacks any type of melody or subtle touches. It was quite welcome.

After buying this album I had a bit of buyers remorse. I have so much dissonant black metal in my collection, did I really need another album? Through listening a few times today the album does enough with it's emphasis on the atmospheric side to justify a place in my collection. It may not get spun as often as some other albums, but when the mood strikes this album will be back on my turntable.

P.S. the last song is 20 minutes long and fucking killer... album worth it for that alone.