Empyrvore are a New Zealand based black metal duo. Following an EP – The Devourer of Beauty – released in 2020, Nadir: Empyrean is their first full-length album. While mainly rooted in the shadowy realms of black metal, the duo incorporate familiar elements of both progressive and death metal within their music.
Across its thirty-six minutes, the album traverses eight tracks bookended by the instrumentals Nadir and Empyrean. Nadir rises in maleficence from murky waters as layers of guitars and hellish synths create an apprehensive and opaquely disquieting ambiance.
As Awaiting Bellerophon begins with rapid guitar and pulsating drums, it is obvious that Empyrvore have stepped up the quality of their production from The Devourer of Beauty. There is a marked improvement in the balance of instruments within the mix. During much of the album, the vocals sit lustrously above the guitars and the equilibrium between bass and drums is immeasurably more considered. Awaiting Bellerophon begins the albums penchant for lyrics rich in - particularly Greek - mythological and symbolic imagery. When your dominance is over / And we will gather the remaining amalgam / And provide salve for their wounds / So I hide my hatred behind this mask / While we wait for Bellerophon. Bellerophon is the hero from Greek mythology who tamed Pegasus; also referenced are the archangel Gabriel and the Gjallarhorn from Norse mythology. All these images suggest an anticipation for a hero or a cataclysmic event that will bring change or judgement. With a ferociously delivered vocal by Jared Beckett and well considered use of synths echoing moments from albums by Emperor, Awaiting Bellerophon is a good indication of what is to come on Nadir: Empyrean. Empyrvore have also developed their ability in the use of space while maintaining atmosphere within songs; the central instrumental section cleverly links the two halves of the track. Less successful is the last minute of Awaiting Bellerophon which descends into sprawling chaos and the duo ignore everything that was so good about the music and the production during the opening five minutes. Although obviously deliberately harsh to mirror the dark lyrics of the ending (which are barely discernible in this instance), it feels out of place and almost like a different band.
Sic Semper Tyrannis (translated from Latin as Thus Always To Tyrants) - a phrase attributed to Brutus at the assassination of Julius Caesar, opens with opulent synths before a relentless and assertive riff begins, echoing the lyrics which examine the cyclical nature of power and the inevitable downfall of dictators. See now - the bearer, of celestial heavens / This stoic and flawed champion / Deconsecrated as your new empires’ core / But never ends, your bitter crusade / As we trade death for death. Michael Brew’s fulminating and potent drumming is tremendously effective as the song reaches it aggressive conclusion. As the lyrics Sic Semper Tyrannis are repeated several times, there is an acknowledgement that although tyranny is doomed to fail, the cycle of oppression might continue with each new regime, each believing themselves to be the liberator but eventually becoming what they once opposed.
With precisely picked arpeggios which re-emerge throughout the song, Salem’s Ouroboros is further evidence of the cyclical nature of life that is message of many of the tracks here. Empyrvore control their belligerently shuddering moments with more dexterity in Salem’s Ouroboros (Iudex, iudices, carnifex! / Self-appointed arbiter of fate / Spinner, alotter, severer / And you must inflict your deiform purity on the world), never allowing the growing feeling of unease to be shaken, as a blackly ethereal central section illustrates. As the song reaches it climatic ending, Beckett – whose vocals are amongst the best on the album - is lost in screaming condemnation of a world in which persecution, the abuse of power and self-righteousness reign. The witch’s visage may change /But not the devil whispering in your ear / The hand with the sceptre may change / But not the weight of dominion / Welcome, to New Salem!
Utilising fretless bass, 6 string bass and even an actual guitar used by Opeth during the making of their early albums, Nadir: Empyrean is an entirely self-recorded, mixed, mastered, and released album (the album’s artwork was made using AI to reflect their DIY approach) by two musicians in different cities, who have never been able to rehearse together, while both working full time jobs and having families. That they have been able to produce an album as well crafted as Nadir: Empyrean is an indication of what is possible in the modern world of record making.
Following the duality of the musically calming but fearfully titled instrumental, A Moment in Purgatory sees the duo sojourn into more progressive music. The caustic and wrath laden To Bind The Wounds is aimed at those who are quick to judge or condemn humanity without ever bringing any positivity or clarity of thought to bear in its betterment. Aped the thoughts of others / Seized upon the misanthropic mantra / Espoused the evils of mankind / And perpetuated its misery / But never thought to offer / A conception of another path / To bind the wounds of man. Pummelling, punishing riffs, combine with crashing cymbals as Beckett and Brew weave their grim story.
The Eyes of Mnemosyne is another song rich in metaphor and allusion. Mnemosyne is the Greek goddess of memory and the mother of the nine muses. While not directly referenced within the lyrics, her name is used in the title to indicate how we should not be content with simply repeating or forgetting the mistakes humanity has made but to actively seek new truths and act upon them. Now they’ve crowned a new God, a lord of lords / A ruler of bones on a gilded throne / A tyrant clad in prismatic veneer / But will you mourn here, deedless? / Forever dropping vain tears in thankless sea / As if an ocean of sorrow would sway but one such heart? The Eyes of Mnemosyne stakes its claim as the song on the album that sums up everything that Empyrvore are about. Without every feeling contrived, it sways between pure black metal and obsidian progressive elements. As with much black metal, there is not an emphasis on guitar solos on Nadir: Empyrean but those that are present serve the songs well. Five minutes into The Eyes of Mnemosyne, Jared Beckett shows the listener just what he is capable of as a lead guitarist with a wonderfully fluid and melodic but audaciously formidable solo. It is one of the most beguiling moments on the album.
Ending with the instrumental Empyrean, Empyrvore complete their journey from Nadir. Despite its thirty-six-minute length, due to the vast depth of their lyrical intensity, there is a feeling of the epic about the album. They do not shy away from the woes of modern society and their use of imagery, folklore and mythology is well placed to elucidate their intentions. Jared Beckett and Michael Brew may not musically reinvent the genres in which they operate but such is the progression from their debut EP, and due to the way the album has been made, they should be commended for what they have achieved.
Nadir: Empyrean is out now.
Visit Empyrvore's bandcamp page here: https://empyrvore.bandcamp.com/
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