Heresi – Psalm II
Since the first two trips through this pounding and initially dimensionless CD divulged little more than skilled older Mayhem adoration, with a definite Swedish black metal sense of melody spinning through the foundation, Heresi’s “Psalm II” ended up being a definite grower for me. What grabbed me early on was the very warm overall production values and particular attention being paid to an actually roomy, full sounding drum kit. The heavier hits and firming up of an overall groove of the slower riffs really began to unlock “Psalm II” for me. Sole member Scamfer (once served in the legions of Ondskapt) handles everything in Heresi from the song writing to the instruments and this makes the album seem even more impressive to me. A very vibrant guitar tone possesses just enough grit and rattle in its 6 razor strings that the harmonies expressed in the blasting moments scream with sorrowful rage, only to crush the depression on the mid-paced riffs where one cannot deny the urge to become consumed by the weighty, head nodding hooks. As I became more familiar with the songs and really listened to the movement and Scamfer’s skilled attention to creating memorable black metal that sounds very familiar, yet stands out of the pack, I realized the main thing that initially inspired me to write Heresi off as uninspired, was Scamfer’s vocals. The mid-ranged rasp is in a register that I often prefer and he does possess a certain degree of his own style initially, but he rarely changes the inflection of his delivery, making a lot of the vocal lines feel interchangeable. If you can look past this one element, “Psalm II” is a rather short, though well-rounded and strangely atmospheric CD that will get a fair amount of listens out of you before it is permanently retired to the dusty “H” section of your CD rack along with Havohej and Helloween. -Marty
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