Funeral Rain Press Corps

Genre: Black Metal
Label: Schattenkult Produktionen

And the Black Metal Gods (I’m sure there are at least two of them) have smiled upon my sorry ass once again!  I literally jumped for joy when I received this album in the mail and rushed straight home to throw it in my stereo. Long time readers may remember the dripping hard-ons that General Blaspheme and I have for this band. If you don’t and/or my vulgar appreciation for Nebrus is completely new to you, then all you really need to do is listen to just one song and you’ll understand where I’m coming from (and you’ll probably need a new change of underwear as well).

From The Black Ashes starts off strong with “Apocalypse”, a blistering ride through the beginning of the end. They tease you a bit with a break in the bleak with a momentary slow down in tempo that almost feels like everything is going to be okay. Like the world isn’t going to end in this horrible fashion that they’re describing… and suddenly, the sting of reaper’s scythe finds it’s mark on your soul! An awesome way to START your album, if you ask me.

From there, Nebrus just takes your expectations and runs off with them by taking all the vileness of black metal and merging it the finer points of doom metal. It’s like if you took Under The Sign Of The Black Mark and Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, broke them both in half and glued the two halves together to make the greatest mixture of black metal and doom metal that any metal mind ever dreamed of… assuming the breaking/gluing process was successful.

I’m happy to report that Noctuaria’s voice is just as ravaged and raw as ever, which keeps her high on my Favorite Black Metal Vocalist list right between Stefan Fiori and Lord Serpent. This time however, Mortifero duties pertained only to the drums, which are every bit as punishing as they were in Twilight Of Humanity. It’s the same with the guitars. Throughout From The Black Ashes, they are almost always sped up to your standard black metal speed riffs, but occasionally they break off into dreary doom hooks that are always laid in on just the right moments.

But the crowning jewel of From The Black Ashes has to be it’s closing track, “Banquet Of Oblivion”. Hearing Noctuaria scream, “I DON’T EXIST!” would start to weaken even the most galvanized of iron wills. An absolute perfect ending to easily one of the top three albums I’ve heard in 2012. No lie.

Overall: Nebrus, oh my sweet Nebrus… once again, your macabre form of blackened doom has come to lay waste to my other musical tastes. One listen to From The Black Ashes and you’ll get snagged on one of it’s many hooks! Even if black/doom isn’t your forte, you’ll find something about Nebrus’s new offering to enjoy. And if you can, track down one of the 66 copies of Nebrus’s EP, Twilight Of Humanity.

10/10

Nebrus Official
Nebrus On Facebook 

-  Typhon

First off, thanks a bunch for agreeing to this interview. I know you guys are busy putting together your next black metal masterpiece, so this is a great honor for me personally.

Nebrus with great pleasure welcomes E-MetalSpace/Funeral Rain.

What is the meaning of Nebrus, in both name and philosophy?

There is no special meaning … these are syllables that sound familiar to us…

How does being a two piece outfit work out for you guys? Is there any creative struggle or are you pretty much in sync with one another creatively?

Two elements in a band makes it easier and more direct, with more elements there is a risk that they do not agree because everyone wants to put his own creativity, with the result of upsetting the atmosphere that reigns in Nebrus.
Mortifero is the composer and he knows how to create the right feeling for the lyrics sung by Noctuaria, so they both are in good harmony ..

What is the overall message of the “Twilight of Humanity “?

Surely a misanthropic message, hostile to the mass who lives his life by giving more importance in appearance.
But there is a veil of anti-Christianity, an intolerance of the power of the church and its followers, as well as against all the flocks of decerebrates that infest the earth, because humanity is the most ominous parasite most ominous of this planet…

As far as the black metal scene around where you guys are from is concerned, where would you guys rank? Most awesome or just plain godlike?

Where we came from the black metal scene is non-existent ..
We spread our music and let us know, but we doubt that our music is well accepted.
Massa, the city where we came from is populated by yobster and nostalgic freaks of 70′s rock.
We will be happy to burn this tradition musically and cowardly convoluted!

Is what you do vocally (Noctuaria) as horrible for your vocal chords as it sounds? What do you have to do to prepare for that?

Noctuaria does everything to not prepare her voice! Eh Eh Eh
I am at my first experience as a singer in Twilight of humanity when I recorded I did everything at the moment, following my inspiration. Only recently with the complete lineup, I sing at he rehersal. Irony aside … I think constant singing will help me to improve and take advantage of my voice.

Who did the artwork and album layout for Twilight Of Humanity?

The layout is the work of Mortifero, Death on horseback, is the triumph, the power of Death on all The revenge …

Why did you choose to cover Burzum’s Black Spell Of Destruction (other than the fact that it fucking rules)?

Honored for the compliment ..
We decided to make the cover Black Spell of Destruction in honor of Varg because we believe he is unique in its kind and brilliant. Meanwhile we decided to reinterpret it in our own way, remaining faithful to the music but changing the vocals in an attempt to make it even darker and more poignant.

So, I hear that Mortifero has a couple of side projects. Care to shamlessly promote them right about now?

Actually Noctuaria and Mortifero have one side project …
It’s called Urtcant and is already developing, as always composed by Mortifero and sung by Noctuaria.
It ‘s a project that can be called old school Thrash-black, in the tradition of Hellhammer and Bathory, more brutal and direct Nebrus but usually related to our thoughts, though expressed in language more crude and a more truculent appearance.

Awesome! When am I getting a copy of that one! lol

Is there anything you’d like to add for the E-MetalSpace.Funeral Rain audience?

Spread the disease of black metal that unfortunately seems next to extinction, boycott the trends. In other words, keep the black flame burning!

Genre: Depressive Black Metal
Label: Ketzer Records

Germany’s Pest are not going to revolutionize black metal. They will not cause riots to spontaneously form if their albums are not stocked at HMV or similar stores. They will not be taking the Book of Black Metal Rules down from it’s shelf and rewrite it in their own image.
But right now, in 2010, they are releasing a very depressing sounding black metal that, although not totally original, is still pretty damn good. They move a little slower for the most part, full of minor chords and a simplistic structure. A grim atmosphere pervades the entire album, even in the faster songs like  “Decontamination”, and they feature some intense as hell vocals.
I’d stick them in your collection next to Lilyum, Nebrus, and Demorian. They’re not for everyone, but diehard fans of obscure depressive black metal will lose their shit for this.
6.5 out of 10.

Pest’s Official Site.