This is a debut EP from Miasmes who promise a bit of raw and dirty old school black metal. The fact that the lyrics are in French is immaterial as it’s a language that lends itself to black metal, not that we’re all going to be picking out Sartrian quotes and analysing them even if we could make them out. The track titles tell us all we need to know and don’t need translation: Apostasie – Pestilence – Desolation – Furie – Vermine. There endeth the French lesson.
Loud and nasty is what it is. “Apostasie” digs a deep groove of fire, fury and chaos, becoming ever more fury as having started by grinding us down, the tempo steps up and we the listeners are under mortal attack. It’s unrelenting and intense and Miasmes make their intentions clear by surrounding us and enveloping us in this fluent wall of noise. It was never going to go anywhere else after that, and sure “Pestilence” spreads more brutal, razor-sharp firepower. Impressive as the intensity is, the ball of fury that we’re being swept up in is the same. “DéSolation” contains the same ingredients. Interest is retained in the switching of tempo but black metal is and should be an abrasive thing so while the atmosphere is wild and frenetic, the instrumentals set out to overpower us and break down our defences. Miasmes do this very well. “Furie” lives up to its name. A wild guitar line followed by a classic black metal riff appear in this maelstrom of destruction and chaos. “Vermine” starts with a nice bit of rhythmic “second wave” Khold-like black metal, before launching into a deep hate-filled assault.
Black metal can be diverse but when you’re throwing the kitchen sink at it as here, the effect can be lost. Miasmes do a good job of retaining the intensity, adding layer upon layer, changing tempo and infusing instrumental twists. It’s more subtle than it may appear on the surface. It’s a matter here of being swept up in turbulence and nastiness rather than sophistication.
(7.5/10 Andrew Doherty)
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