Μνήμα (Mnima) - Tombs of Necromantic Lunacy EP
Digging your own grave VIII: Going lunatic mode.
Although the Gathering Sorcery… EPs (we’ll get to those soon enough) are used to delineate each of Μνήμα’s eras, I’ve taken to a different system for segmenting the band’s catalogue, and with Tombs of Necromantic Lunacy we’re reaching the end of the second era. Whereas the first one was defined by our unnamed instrumentalist’s collaboration with X., and all the experimentation that came with it, 2020 was dedicated to reconfiguring the band’s core sound and seeing where things could go. Though each release has had its own unique character, the throughline of uncompromising raw black metal has remained consistent across all of them, and it's the glue that binds them all together. The two eras in question also have some commonalities in a macro scale, namely the fact that their last releases managed to blow my socks off for some reason.
Tombs… is arguably the best snapshot of Μνήμα one could possibly ask for. It’s brief, and it covers all the bases, with nary a hint of fluff to be heard. You want a noise piece? There’s “Distant Voices”, this time deftly placed at the start rather than tucked away at the end. Its whirring and moaning slowly ebb and flow in terms of volume, creating a disquieting atmosphere that is further accentuated by a guitar line that seems to be clanging in the background, rather than creating a concrete melody or riff to grasp on to. There’s an implication that something “musical” is happening, but it's obscured beneath the swelling noise, and that elevates the haunting nature of the piece. Μνήμα has always had a knack for creating interesting soundscapes through noise, but they either felt disconnected from the body of whichever release they were on, or they weren’t incorporated in the meat of the songs. While this is an introductory piece, it’s developed and placed well enough so as to make a positive first impression, even if it takes up a quarter of the total runtime.
As for the remaining two tunes, they’re raw black metal, with “Χολή” (Bile) in particular being the more direct of the two, which screams out at the listener as soon as the introduction is done with. Again, it’s another aspect of the band’s sound, namely the brief and messy skirmishes they like to indulge in, although the stylistics and layering of guitar parts found in their longer compositions does make an appearance, further adding to the dynamics. There’s also shades of the fill-happy drumming I’m so fond of, as well as the weirdo vocalisations that first came up in Νεκρώσιμος Ακολουθία. It’s a dense 3,5 minutes, where unflinching intensity and dynamics work in tandem together, creating a song that feels fresh despite constantly moving at 100 kilometres an hour, with nary a slowdown to be seen.
Which leads us to the title track, a rare instance of Μνήμα being slow, and they’ve adopted a surprisingly minimalistic approach at that. A relentlessly morose trudge, it conjures up a more dejected air than the rest of the EP, letting texture take precedence over compositional complexity. The riff density here is far lower as well, and its length admittedly puts it at risk of feeling like a bore. Yet, the atmosphere here is incredibly potent, especially as the rasping and gargling mingle with the song’s drab shuffle. The simplicity presented here is carried by a little lead line that appears near the final stretch, and it's surprisingly stirring all things considered. It doesn’t muscle its way over the rest of the music foundation like we’ve become accustomed to, instead mournfully echoing in the distance, discreetly making itself known. For a track that ran the risk of falling flat on its face, it definitely managed to leave a lasting impression on me.
Truthfully though, Tombs of Necromantic Lunacy has hooked me in a way that I haven’t felt since the Interment EP. While it is a shame that it didn’t really push Μνήμα’s sonic agenda any further, it encapsulates almost every single aspect of their sound perfectly, and I can’t help but wish it was a little longer. Although the experiments and deviations from the main formula are riveting in their own right, it’s hard to argue against such a tightly curated 12 minutes. If you can’t spare the time to check out one of the full-lengths, definitely check this out, you’ll get the general gist of it, and I’ll be damned if it doesn’t have you coming back for more.
Highlight: Χολή
Tombs… is arguably the best snapshot of Μνήμα one could possibly ask for. It’s brief, and it covers all the bases, with nary a hint of fluff to be heard. You want a noise piece? There’s “Distant Voices”, this time deftly placed at the start rather than tucked away at the end. Its whirring and moaning slowly ebb and flow in terms of volume, creating a disquieting atmosphere that is further accentuated by a guitar line that seems to be clanging in the background, rather than creating a concrete melody or riff to grasp on to. There’s an implication that something “musical” is happening, but it's obscured beneath the swelling noise, and that elevates the haunting nature of the piece. Μνήμα has always had a knack for creating interesting soundscapes through noise, but they either felt disconnected from the body of whichever release they were on, or they weren’t incorporated in the meat of the songs. While this is an introductory piece, it’s developed and placed well enough so as to make a positive first impression, even if it takes up a quarter of the total runtime.
As for the remaining two tunes, they’re raw black metal, with “Χολή” (Bile) in particular being the more direct of the two, which screams out at the listener as soon as the introduction is done with. Again, it’s another aspect of the band’s sound, namely the brief and messy skirmishes they like to indulge in, although the stylistics and layering of guitar parts found in their longer compositions does make an appearance, further adding to the dynamics. There’s also shades of the fill-happy drumming I’m so fond of, as well as the weirdo vocalisations that first came up in Νεκρώσιμος Ακολουθία. It’s a dense 3,5 minutes, where unflinching intensity and dynamics work in tandem together, creating a song that feels fresh despite constantly moving at 100 kilometres an hour, with nary a slowdown to be seen.
Which leads us to the title track, a rare instance of Μνήμα being slow, and they’ve adopted a surprisingly minimalistic approach at that. A relentlessly morose trudge, it conjures up a more dejected air than the rest of the EP, letting texture take precedence over compositional complexity. The riff density here is far lower as well, and its length admittedly puts it at risk of feeling like a bore. Yet, the atmosphere here is incredibly potent, especially as the rasping and gargling mingle with the song’s drab shuffle. The simplicity presented here is carried by a little lead line that appears near the final stretch, and it's surprisingly stirring all things considered. It doesn’t muscle its way over the rest of the music foundation like we’ve become accustomed to, instead mournfully echoing in the distance, discreetly making itself known. For a track that ran the risk of falling flat on its face, it definitely managed to leave a lasting impression on me.
Truthfully though, Tombs of Necromantic Lunacy has hooked me in a way that I haven’t felt since the Interment EP. While it is a shame that it didn’t really push Μνήμα’s sonic agenda any further, it encapsulates almost every single aspect of their sound perfectly, and I can’t help but wish it was a little longer. Although the experiments and deviations from the main formula are riveting in their own right, it’s hard to argue against such a tightly curated 12 minutes. If you can’t spare the time to check out one of the full-lengths, definitely check this out, you’ll get the general gist of it, and I’ll be damned if it doesn’t have you coming back for more.
Highlight: Χολή
Rating: 90%
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