Ayin Harsha

From the silent rustic towns of East-Flanders hails a group of young musicians who have become the thriving force behind the bands De Vermis Mysteriis and Morkenatten. Both bands consist of the same members, yet each band enlightens us with a different approach of black metal.  Both bands released a demo in 2014 and now they share a split release, called Ayin Harsha. 

De Vermis Mysteriis opens this split. After a short intro, gloomy riffs start dragging the listener into a dark horror universe. While the overall sound is raw, with an equally raw production, one can unearth some interesting melodies here and there. This band doesn’t rely on senseless blasting around, but takes the time to build up an atmosphere, entwined with either faster or more melodic parts. One could definitely hear hints towards the raw Finnish sound, yet the influences are notably broader than that. Here and there you’ll hear some distinct Swedish melody and finesse. Finally, the raspy (rather than traditionally shrieking) vocals are worth noting, as they add a distinct personal twist to the whole concept. They shred through the dark musical veil and complete the whole horror story. The main comment than can be made here, is that the overall sound drowns the individual elements now and then. But this is a matter of production and recording, not skill or passion, and as the band grows this will eventually become better. In the end, the fuzzy recording has a charm on its own.

At track number 5, Morkenatten takes over. The sound of rain, an acoustic guitar and some vague distorted chords could fool the listener into believing that Morkenatten will entertain us with nature-loving atmospheric black metal. Even before the first song Elixir for The Weeping is finished, we meet again with the typical raw sound we’ve heard from De Vermis Mysteriis.   

Wait, I hear you think this might this be some kind of De Vermis Mysteriis part 2? Not quite. De Vermis Mysteriis dragged you down in a violent dark maelstrom, while Morkenatten slowly creates an impenetrable vile fog. This means that Morkenatten relies even more on the creation of atmosphere than their brother band. The part of Morkenatten also features two instrumental tracks (The Stimulus of Ammonia, While the Chrysanthemums Sang). These tracks guide us towards the end of this split. The tracks of Morkenatten unfold in a slightly more interesting and creeping way, whereas De Vermis Mysteriis is more straight-forward. A different approach on dark music, same idea, different execution.

Did they reinvent sliced bread? No, but this split is certainly worth your time and your attention. Of course, there are still rough pieces and bits to be perfected, but this split is certainly a nice warmup for what a full-length might bring us. This young band certainly doesn’t lack motivation and fire. A split worth listening and a collective worth keeping an eye on, we might get some good surprises from these guys.