Style: black metal with traditional Japanese instrumentation
Primary Emotions/Themes: The demons of Japanese lore
Thoughts: I'm a sucker for traditional Japanese music and instruments. Having them combined with various genres is almost an instant boon to my ear, especially when they are integrated well. On Yomi Ershetu has done exactly that.
Combining black metal with the pan flue and shamisen has seems like an obvious move for a band to try... and to be honest I'm not sure why it hasn't happened more within the genre of metal. Ershetu has managed to combine these two seemingly opposing forces effortlessly.
The metal instruments will more often than not create the majority of the music. With the guitar and drums playing well executed but largely unremarkable riffs. What makes the music come alive though is the aforementioned Japanese inclusions.
There are ambient passages where only a flute will play over the sounds of running water... or the shamisen (Japanese guitar) will play over near silence. It's in these moments that the music is at it's purest form. Simple melodies in near silence only to be completely shattered by the violence that the black metal brings.
The black metal mixed with the melodies of the flute and guitar are where the music truly shines though. The more traditional black metal is elevated by the far eastern instruments and melodies. They work together so well that I don't believe that this album would be anywhere near as good without their inclusion. They are not a gimmick, they are a central part to the albums theme and sound.
I wasn't too fond of Ershetu's first album that focused on Aztec themes. However, the band really seems to have hit their stride with this sophomore album. It has me very interested to see where the band is going from here. Hopefully wherever the band decides to go the music will retain the quality of this release.
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