Μνήμα (Mnima) - The Superior Poisoner of Time Demo

Digging your own grave IV: The [adjective + noun] of Time, part 2.  

Well, I gotta admit. I didn’t expect to be filtered by a Μνήμα release this early into this series. Given how harsh their music is, I expected there to be at least one of their works I’d struggle to digest at some point in their discography, especially when the “Noise” tag looms large alongside “Raw black metal”. It was a matter of time until I stumbled upon something that truly put the noisier aspects of their music to the forefront, and The Superior Poisoner of Time does precisely that.

That being said, the black metal is still there, albeit in a heavily obscured capacity, overlaid with some of the rawest sounds Μνήμα has ever committed to tape. Whereas the riffs and song structures on previous releases were easy to pry apart if you were already predisposed towards lo-fi black metal, here it’s all turned into a massive wave of hissing static that wants to push your limits. It all sounds so fucking busted that the percussion on “II” and “III” sounds like the exact same beat, unless you really pay attention to what the cymbals are doing. Then again, that’d require you to try to dig for them through the ruckus the guitars are creating, not to mention the kitchenware-adjacent snare. It’s an approach that is very much intentional, and I’m honestly a little surprised it took them this long to delve into such depths when it comes to how unwelcoming they can make the music.

I know that it’s redundant to harp on the production of a demo, let alone one within the raw black metal realm, but <i>The Superior Poisoner of Time</i> lives and dies by its overwhelming nature, and although there are some good riffs, they’re so obscured that their jagged nature only becomes apparent after repeat listens. There’s some pretty zippy passages in the aforementioned two tracks, and I can’t help but lament the fact that I can’t appreciate them in a clearer context. Although the band has been thriving on the excess hiss and buzz that is endemic to the style, this is the first time the sonic aesthetics have taken precedence over the arrangements. Even X. has become more overbearing here, at times giving the impression that he shrieks his way through these tracks in a single breath, sacrificing himself for the sake of reinforcing the wall of sound. This results in what I would classify as a primarily textural experience, albeit one where the texture is consistently coarse and unpleasant to the ears. Then again, complaining about that is like going to a McDonald’s and being upset that the food sucks. 

This leads us to the demo’s dynamics, or lack thereof, as it maintains a similar level of intensity throughout, without much in the way of breaks or fluctuations such as those found in the 2017 self-titled demo. As established, there are good riffs and riveting rhythms to be heard, but they’re a reward reserved only for those who are willing to put the time and effort in trying to wrap their heads around what Μνήμα does. When you put this thing on, you know that you’re gonna get punished for 11 minutes, and unless you’re a glutton for punishment, this demo will leave you cold at best, if not outright repulse you.

For all my complaints though, I must admit that part of me wishes it was a little longer. Sure, I am not enamoured with what’s showcased here, but there is definite potential in shifting this towards a more ambient direction that plays around with the noise more, perhaps melding it with the black metal core in a more balanced manner that allows for more interplay between these elements. It’s a little silly to want more of a demo I wasn’t all that enthralled by on a compositional level, but the raw energy and ideas presented leave me wishing they’d just decided to blow the door off its hinges and dig further into what they were doing here.

Despite my gripes with it, I am strangely addicted to The Superior Poisoner of Time, same as I was with the self-titled demo. The experience of preparing to write this particular review was akin to chiseling away at a sealed crypt’s entrance, my insistence on discovering the horrors within only matched by my immediate repulsion at its daunting façade. Although I eventually broke the seal, I find myself wondering whether all the toil was worth it. It’s terrifying, sure, but for how intense said terror is, it's not as long-lasting as I wish it were. Nevertheless, it makes for a delightful curio in an ever-shifting catalogue that doesn’t seem all that keen on repeating itself, and there is plenty of merit in that.

Highlights: II, III

Rating: 55%