Calling of Phasmic Presence / Μνήμα (Mnima) / Koreltsak / Upir - Conspiring in Blood-drenched Moonlight Split
Digging your own grave XV: This one actually has a name.
Names are a powerful thing. Through them, we ascribe meaning and value to our surroundings, objects and individuals alike. To have something remain nameless is to rob it of its identity and any significance it might possess. Perhaps indirectly, this is part of the reason why Μνήμα’s splits thus far have felt lacking to me. Their “names” were merely a list of the participants, rather than something that signified an identity beyond that. There was music, that much was certain, but did it really amount to much besides everyone contributing a song? Not quite. As we reach the end of the band’s 2021 output though, we are met with Conspiring in Blood-drenched Moonlight, their third split for the year, and the only one in their catalogue to be named. While I did approach it cautiously, as I’d been 0 for 2 with my overall enjoyment of Μνήμα’s split work thus far, I found myself positively surprised by what was actually held in store for me.
For one, we actually have 40 minutes of front-to-back cohesive music. There’s no spacey ambience to derail things at the end, and everyone’s on a similar wavelength in terms of what they want to achieve, even if they go about it in different ways. Throughout the split’s runtime, we are met with a consistently dingy and arcane atmosphere, evoking dungeons similar to the one presented on the cover. It’s a little counterintuitive, but when it comes to splits I expect the artists to have a shared vision, while also going about achieving it in a way that is identifiably their own. All roads lead to Rome and all, or in this case, musty depths hitherto unexplored by man.
Calling of Phasmic Presence is the one to take us down that rabbit hole, with two songs taking up their allotted quarter of the split, and things are appropriately dark from the get go. “Shrouded Under my Former Self” whirrs itself into existence, the guitars a murky buzz that courses through the song’s entire duration, joined by a cold and inhuman drum machine. Its pace is relentless bar a brief lull in the middle, where the guitars still have this almost drone-like quality about them, even as the percussion slows down to let them take up more space. “Becoming Luminescent” maintains this energy, although it does allow some melancholy to seep through its arpeggiated introduction, mellow as it is. Though they emphasise the same type of blasting they showcased on the opener, I’d be remiss not to mention the rocking beat that slows things down a little partway through, as it introduces some welcome dynamism to the piece. While the toolset the duo is painting with is rather austere, with little in the way of ornamentation on the riffs, vocalist B.L. does provide a very varied performance, groaning and howling at the edges of the mix.
Μνήμα on the other hand is hands-down the busiest band of the bunch in terms of their songwriting, perhaps to a slight point of excess, as “Nocturnal Void Odyssey” is a veritable cacophony of manic tremolo riffing and head-spinning drumming. The riff count on the first three minutes alone is off the charts, and the band’s tendency to employ unheralded transitions is in full effect here, flying off the handle at every turn. Restless as they might be though, a doomy break provides solace partway through, preceded by a scratchy, yet surprisingly tuneful passage. And the soaring, almost triumphant, explosion that follows immediately after is to die for. Harsh as Μνήμα might be, them leaning into these more intricate and typically melodious riffs makes my ears perk up, as they make for a nice contrast with their otherwise unrelenting cruelty and add a lot of variety to what could very well have been a flat wave of blackened noise.
Unfortunately, things do become a little more uniform after we get past the first half, as Koreltsak and Upir are a little more similar to each other than their co-conspirators, though their contributions do contain some traits that facilitate differentiating between the two. The former’s “Pathway to the Ruined Palace” is a very brittle and mournful song, primarily built around the harmonising between the two guitars, both sprinting at full tilt, albeit at different frequencies, with the rhythm on the lower end providing a lot of subtle shifts in pacing and feel, while the lead continuously cries out on top alongside the vocals. The real show-stealer though was that beautiful violin interlude in the middle, each note a lament that went unheard, and was eventually overtaken by the pained howls and an acoustic guitar, before a demonic chorus of voices reaches its crescendo and throws us back in the chaos. Its placement is perfect, and it’s one of the most memorable moments on the split when looked at in a vacuum.
Upir closes things off in fittingly desolate fashion on “Sequestered in Shrouding Mist”, which is marked by a steadier pace, despite the occasional tremolo riff. Its introduction is actually rather nostalgic, the chords being strummed possessing a decadent, crackling tone. After a surprisingly elaborate drum fill we’re thrown into a hypnotising stream of notes, which somehow doesn’t bore me to tears, despite its relative monotony. Though it must be said that the trio’s trudging approach to black metal isn’t one I am particularly crazy about, their ethos does shine through, and they take us over the finish line on a dour note that I can’t help but be pleased with at the end of the day.
I’m not above using a writing cliché every once in a while, but “third time’s the charm” definitely applies to Conspiring in Blood-drenched Moonlight. While not perfect, Μνήμα’s third split effort marks the first time I can say I enjoyed one of these releases as a whole and didn’t find myself getting frustrated at major fluctuations in quality or style. Though I’d be hard-pressed to reach for this over most of their solo work, it's definitely their best one thus far, finding them among like-minded company who are able to play at a similar level as they do. I’m curious to see what the ones released in 2023 are like, but 2022 is a career-defining year that I cannot wait to cover, so we have that to look forward to.
Highlight: Nocturnal Void Odyssey
For one, we actually have 40 minutes of front-to-back cohesive music. There’s no spacey ambience to derail things at the end, and everyone’s on a similar wavelength in terms of what they want to achieve, even if they go about it in different ways. Throughout the split’s runtime, we are met with a consistently dingy and arcane atmosphere, evoking dungeons similar to the one presented on the cover. It’s a little counterintuitive, but when it comes to splits I expect the artists to have a shared vision, while also going about achieving it in a way that is identifiably their own. All roads lead to Rome and all, or in this case, musty depths hitherto unexplored by man.
Calling of Phasmic Presence is the one to take us down that rabbit hole, with two songs taking up their allotted quarter of the split, and things are appropriately dark from the get go. “Shrouded Under my Former Self” whirrs itself into existence, the guitars a murky buzz that courses through the song’s entire duration, joined by a cold and inhuman drum machine. Its pace is relentless bar a brief lull in the middle, where the guitars still have this almost drone-like quality about them, even as the percussion slows down to let them take up more space. “Becoming Luminescent” maintains this energy, although it does allow some melancholy to seep through its arpeggiated introduction, mellow as it is. Though they emphasise the same type of blasting they showcased on the opener, I’d be remiss not to mention the rocking beat that slows things down a little partway through, as it introduces some welcome dynamism to the piece. While the toolset the duo is painting with is rather austere, with little in the way of ornamentation on the riffs, vocalist B.L. does provide a very varied performance, groaning and howling at the edges of the mix.
Μνήμα on the other hand is hands-down the busiest band of the bunch in terms of their songwriting, perhaps to a slight point of excess, as “Nocturnal Void Odyssey” is a veritable cacophony of manic tremolo riffing and head-spinning drumming. The riff count on the first three minutes alone is off the charts, and the band’s tendency to employ unheralded transitions is in full effect here, flying off the handle at every turn. Restless as they might be though, a doomy break provides solace partway through, preceded by a scratchy, yet surprisingly tuneful passage. And the soaring, almost triumphant, explosion that follows immediately after is to die for. Harsh as Μνήμα might be, them leaning into these more intricate and typically melodious riffs makes my ears perk up, as they make for a nice contrast with their otherwise unrelenting cruelty and add a lot of variety to what could very well have been a flat wave of blackened noise.
Unfortunately, things do become a little more uniform after we get past the first half, as Koreltsak and Upir are a little more similar to each other than their co-conspirators, though their contributions do contain some traits that facilitate differentiating between the two. The former’s “Pathway to the Ruined Palace” is a very brittle and mournful song, primarily built around the harmonising between the two guitars, both sprinting at full tilt, albeit at different frequencies, with the rhythm on the lower end providing a lot of subtle shifts in pacing and feel, while the lead continuously cries out on top alongside the vocals. The real show-stealer though was that beautiful violin interlude in the middle, each note a lament that went unheard, and was eventually overtaken by the pained howls and an acoustic guitar, before a demonic chorus of voices reaches its crescendo and throws us back in the chaos. Its placement is perfect, and it’s one of the most memorable moments on the split when looked at in a vacuum.
Upir closes things off in fittingly desolate fashion on “Sequestered in Shrouding Mist”, which is marked by a steadier pace, despite the occasional tremolo riff. Its introduction is actually rather nostalgic, the chords being strummed possessing a decadent, crackling tone. After a surprisingly elaborate drum fill we’re thrown into a hypnotising stream of notes, which somehow doesn’t bore me to tears, despite its relative monotony. Though it must be said that the trio’s trudging approach to black metal isn’t one I am particularly crazy about, their ethos does shine through, and they take us over the finish line on a dour note that I can’t help but be pleased with at the end of the day.
I’m not above using a writing cliché every once in a while, but “third time’s the charm” definitely applies to Conspiring in Blood-drenched Moonlight. While not perfect, Μνήμα’s third split effort marks the first time I can say I enjoyed one of these releases as a whole and didn’t find myself getting frustrated at major fluctuations in quality or style. Though I’d be hard-pressed to reach for this over most of their solo work, it's definitely their best one thus far, finding them among like-minded company who are able to play at a similar level as they do. I’m curious to see what the ones released in 2023 are like, but 2022 is a career-defining year that I cannot wait to cover, so we have that to look forward to.
Highlight: Nocturnal Void Odyssey
Rating: 75%
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