Μνήμα (Mnima) - Νεκρώσιμος Ακολουθία Demo

Digging your own grave VII: It’s a procession, not a sequence. 

Given the relative conservatism displayed by Μνήμα as they greeted the 2020s, it felt like they could’ve gone in whichever direction they wanted with whatever came after Possessed Templars. They could either dig their heels in and iterate on previously established ideas, or veer off into completely unknown territory once again. The only consistent trend we have seen from them thus far is that we can’t quite know what to expect from them sonically. As it turns out, Νεκρώσιμος Ακολουθία posits a different answer to this conundrum: “Why not both”?

I’m not particularly fond of cross-referencing an artist’s work with previous releases, but the nature of “Chalice of Spirits” makes it impossible to not draw some parallels to 2019’s Forbidden Creatures of Time EP. For one, it’s a 10-minute behemoth that plays around with soft-loud dynamics, but this time instead of ambient influences we are met with some haunting acoustic passages. There’s only a small handful of them interspersed throughout the track, and in classic Μνήμα fashion, we’re dropped in and out of them in a jarring manner. When the first acoustic arpeggio comes after almost 2 minutes of savagery, it casts an eerie gloom over the proceedings, gradually building up tension before we’re plunged back into chaos, but get this: we’re actually met with a slow riff for once. Like a lot of the band’s music, it’s quite primitive, more akin to waves of feedback crashing into the listener than an actual guitar riff. It’s rare that they showcase this aspect of their sound, but it contributes to expanding the dynamics of an already winding piece.

Further adding to the experimental aspects of the song are the vocals, as more theatrical styles appear alongside the more traditional black metal rasps and screams. There’s throaty chanting, bellowing, and it all provides the music with a low end that’s been lacking from their sound, allowing it to be equal parts churning and caustic. A definite highlight here is the melodic punky riff that is underpinned by an ever-so-delightful skank beat, all while the vocals are rambling on top of it. It’s always nice when Μνήμα lets those punk influences shine through, and the general odd-ball nature of that passage is quite remarkable. Generally, the choice to eschew the ambience that ran through the aforementioned EP was certainly one that paid dividends for yours truly, as the riff density is far higher, and variation isn’t reliant on shifting drum patterns. Not that this approach doesn’t have its own merit, it’s been used to great effect throughout this series, but you can’t deny the power of a good riff.

For what it’s worth though, kicking things off with such a massive track and then spreading the remaining 5 minutes across two songs does make for a very lopsided experience, especially when the tracks are so disparate from one another. “Invocation” is a plain black metal assault, boasting some vaguely melodic tremolo riffing , but it stays at one tempo the whole time, and the absence of dynamics really hurts it, especially when there have been multiple instances of Μνήμα writing tracks that manage to do a lot within a very tight time frame.

As for “Liturgy of Despair”, it’s a noise piece, one that gives the impression of an afterthought when it comes to its placement on the demo. It’s an interesting composition, with multiple layers of noise being created solely through the use and manipulation of vocal performances, and it does convince as far as atmosphere goes. Ghoulish as it might be though, I can’t help but lament the fact that it wasn’t integrated to the release’s flow better. Truthfully, this is an instance where the abbreviation of “demonstration” is more than accurate when used to describe this release, as we do bear witness to a sideshow of interesting ideas, and not all of them are necessarily cohesive with one another.

Despite its top-heavy nature though, I quite enjoy Νεκρώσιμος Ακολουθία, even if my interest hits its peak during the first track. Like every other Μνήμα release, it has its own charm, even if it draws from past works in order to make it manifest. It shows that they’re still willing to go in different directions, even after the straightforward Possessed Templars. Admittedly, it’s not a straight line forward in terms of development, but more of a diagonal one. Then again, progress isn’t linear, and it’s not without looking back at what you’ve already done that you can move into the future.

Highlight: Chalice of Spirits

Rating: 75%