Endezzma – Erotik Nekrosis
I really miss the heyday of the Norwegian black metal scene, when wood smoke and holy embers were all the PR team a fledgling band needed to capture the hearts of a metal generation. The actions of some were indeed extreme, but mostly hyped by an all too willing press corp. The undeniable flip side was the fact that the music being created by then 16 to 21 year olds was more powerful and worthy of praise than the violence being orchestrated, inflated, and infatuated. Today, I find very few bands arising from Norway that continue to nurture the old black metal style effectively. Taake, Burzum, Immortal (at times. Amazing riffs if you can see through the Velveeta)… there are others, but most bands that still carry the torch, were already there the first time around. The new school is either technically perplexing via a death metal cross-pollination, adopting a punk aesthetic, or worrying more about what their stylist thinks. I’ve said this before in other reviews… in fact, i’m a broken record a lot of the time. With this sense of dissatisfaction in regards to Norwegian black metal, I hit play on Endezzma’s first full-length effort, “Erotik Nekrosis”. My first impression of this album was lackluster. The harsh yelling style of Morten Shax seemed strained and not that interesting. The music struck me as being of the harsh brutality school of newer Norge blackness. It sounded like i’ve heard this many times before. But this being a product of members that have spent time in Urgehal, Vulture Lord, and Dim Nagel, I worked through my initial displeasure and gave it another try.
It must have been my overall mood on the day I first gave Endezzma my obviously divided attention, for the 2nd time through this release sounds a lot more interesting than I remember. The vocals still feel like the weakest link when judging this album as a whole. Imagine a slightly harsher/more deranged shouting style initially found on both the Sarke albums (Nocturno Culto’s new singing style… I’m not a huge fan) and you get a close idea. But the music… it feels melodically mystical on occasion as found permeating from this country during the mid 90’s, with more of a stripped down, punky fork in the path on occasion when the band wants to offer more of a catchy groove. When Endezzma tries their hand at this style, they tend to put me in mind of fellow countrymen Aura Noir (but not as good). When they employ creepy organ/subtle synth tones and slower tempos as found on Swansong of a Giant and Hollow, the dynamic changes in this band. The bass guitar and actual bass lines step out of the firestorm to offer a tasteful dimension. The riffs range between slow and emotive to tortured yet melodic, all the while, the keyboards give this a horror phonic, almost theatrical slant. The vocals hold a place in the interesting layers, even though lyrical concepts of sexual depravity are silly and a bore, I can still appreciate their inclusion as I try to take this album for what it is… unoriginal, but very well done. “Krossing Rubikon” and other tracks on Erotik Nekrosis in fact sound a lot like a Sarke/Aura Noir side project, but the production and overall songwriting unleashed by Endezzma is enjoyable. Bloody corpse paint? Check. Fire and sweltering dungeon band pics? Check. The willingness of your girlfriends to pose naked in said band photos? Ah yes… thank you sweetie. In the end, none of this matters, for it has been done millions of times before and has zero impact on all the desensitized males who support this musical style. What matters is the music, and to me, Endezzma are working with the correct tools and should continue to improve as they move forward. Erotik Nekrosis… I like it. I’m glad I stuck it out. -Marty
Agonia Records
http://agoniarecords.com
Worm Gear 