Μνήμα (Mnima) - Gathering Sorcery to the Eternal Portals of the Past PT III EP
Digging your own grave XVII: A farewell to arms.
2022, despite being one of Μνήμα’s least prolific years, saw them hit a new milestone with each of its three releases, some artistic, and others more personal, their debut full-length being but one of them. The third and final chapter of the Gathering Sorcery… series manages to slot itself into both categories, carrying with it a lot of history, not only a signpost in terms of the band’s musical development, but also marking the end of an era, both within the music and outside of it.
Deceptively enough, Μνήμα keeps their true hand a secret for the first half, opting to lead the listener in by showcasing the EP’s musical approach, which actually does have some follow through with the preceding entry. Following an introduction dominated by croaking and retching, “V” throws itself into these ceaseless streams of fuzzy notes, the wasp-like guitar creating an ambience that hearkens back to the second entry of the series, albeit with a burlier tone. The sweeping nature of the tremolo runs does also bring the band’s more dramatic moments to mind, tinged with hints of psychedelia, in addition to a feeling of grandeur. It’s a superbly executed song, its ebb and flow culminating in a particularly noisy and disorienting climax, which reveals Μνήμα’s ear for some more dissonant note choices, something that perhaps doesn’t rear its head in the music as often as it should.
“VI” ramps up the chaos further, a freakish tug of war in terms of its dynamics, which maintain an erratic character that stands in stark contrast to the more measured pace of what preceded it. The magnificent riffing persists, offset by the more delirious vocal performance, where our unnamed instrumentalist runs the gamut across all the techniques he’s employed throughout the project’s lifespan since he became its sole member. There’s very little footing to stand on here, and yet the melodic nature of the riffs, hostile as they might be, provides an almost triumphant and raging feeling to the music at hand, a feeling that begins to fade as the track reaches its end, the disjointed and lonely guitar seemingly falling apart at the seams, leading us to the second half of the EP.
And it’s here that things transition from the artistic to the confessional, as the seamless transition into “VII” confronts us with a sound that ought to be familiar to anyone well-versed in Μνήμα’s work, X.’s voice. I tried dancing around the topic over the course of this series, so as to not have it tinge my opinion of the music, but the song forces us to reckon with his tragic passing, the shadow of which looms large over the band’s output from 2021 onwards. His ceaseless screaming brings along with it the air of a procession, the music slowing down to a morose trudge, far more akin to a funeral procession than what the raging black metal that preceded it would have you assume. Even the more fierce moments where the song picks up the pace exist solely to intensify the anguish expressed in his voice, especially as it hits a peak on the second leg. Though I wasn’t too keen on the bits where X. was left screaming alone at the end of songs on older releases, I find myself incapable of judging this on a strictly musical basis. It’s well and truly 4-odd minutes of him screaming and howling all by his lonesome, and in this particular case it is transformed by his death. Despite it being a leftover recording, it obtains a spectral and arcane air, as if recorded in the moment specifically for use here, the torment in his voice feeling like it comes from a plane beyond ours. And it’s all bookended by a brief acoustic coda, dour and gentle, as if it carries his spirit away with it, perhaps to a place of rest.
To be completely honest with you, part of me dreaded writing this review. Not for a lack of quality on the music’s behalf though. Despite my brushes with the more personal and intimate sentiments contained in Μνήμα’s work, I haven’t been forced face-to-face with them in as intense a manner as on the final entry of the Gathering Sorcery… series. It’s a piece that transcends the limitations imposed by the absence of lyrics for the listener, and it manages to express its emotions strictly through compositional mastery, resulting in a very raw tribute to one of the people that shaped the project into what it is today. It is something that I could only have experienced by absorbing each entry on its own, being able to enjoy them on their own merits and being able to observe how they fit into the grander context of the band’s discography, and I’m grateful to have walked back on my original intent of covering the compilation as a standalone entry. In a way, it helped me recognise the way that the band carried on X.’s legacy after his departure, and although I’ve never been a particularly spiritual person, I do hope he is at peace now.
Gone, but not forgotten.
Deceptively enough, Μνήμα keeps their true hand a secret for the first half, opting to lead the listener in by showcasing the EP’s musical approach, which actually does have some follow through with the preceding entry. Following an introduction dominated by croaking and retching, “V” throws itself into these ceaseless streams of fuzzy notes, the wasp-like guitar creating an ambience that hearkens back to the second entry of the series, albeit with a burlier tone. The sweeping nature of the tremolo runs does also bring the band’s more dramatic moments to mind, tinged with hints of psychedelia, in addition to a feeling of grandeur. It’s a superbly executed song, its ebb and flow culminating in a particularly noisy and disorienting climax, which reveals Μνήμα’s ear for some more dissonant note choices, something that perhaps doesn’t rear its head in the music as often as it should.
“VI” ramps up the chaos further, a freakish tug of war in terms of its dynamics, which maintain an erratic character that stands in stark contrast to the more measured pace of what preceded it. The magnificent riffing persists, offset by the more delirious vocal performance, where our unnamed instrumentalist runs the gamut across all the techniques he’s employed throughout the project’s lifespan since he became its sole member. There’s very little footing to stand on here, and yet the melodic nature of the riffs, hostile as they might be, provides an almost triumphant and raging feeling to the music at hand, a feeling that begins to fade as the track reaches its end, the disjointed and lonely guitar seemingly falling apart at the seams, leading us to the second half of the EP.
And it’s here that things transition from the artistic to the confessional, as the seamless transition into “VII” confronts us with a sound that ought to be familiar to anyone well-versed in Μνήμα’s work, X.’s voice. I tried dancing around the topic over the course of this series, so as to not have it tinge my opinion of the music, but the song forces us to reckon with his tragic passing, the shadow of which looms large over the band’s output from 2021 onwards. His ceaseless screaming brings along with it the air of a procession, the music slowing down to a morose trudge, far more akin to a funeral procession than what the raging black metal that preceded it would have you assume. Even the more fierce moments where the song picks up the pace exist solely to intensify the anguish expressed in his voice, especially as it hits a peak on the second leg. Though I wasn’t too keen on the bits where X. was left screaming alone at the end of songs on older releases, I find myself incapable of judging this on a strictly musical basis. It’s well and truly 4-odd minutes of him screaming and howling all by his lonesome, and in this particular case it is transformed by his death. Despite it being a leftover recording, it obtains a spectral and arcane air, as if recorded in the moment specifically for use here, the torment in his voice feeling like it comes from a plane beyond ours. And it’s all bookended by a brief acoustic coda, dour and gentle, as if it carries his spirit away with it, perhaps to a place of rest.
To be completely honest with you, part of me dreaded writing this review. Not for a lack of quality on the music’s behalf though. Despite my brushes with the more personal and intimate sentiments contained in Μνήμα’s work, I haven’t been forced face-to-face with them in as intense a manner as on the final entry of the Gathering Sorcery… series. It’s a piece that transcends the limitations imposed by the absence of lyrics for the listener, and it manages to express its emotions strictly through compositional mastery, resulting in a very raw tribute to one of the people that shaped the project into what it is today. It is something that I could only have experienced by absorbing each entry on its own, being able to enjoy them on their own merits and being able to observe how they fit into the grander context of the band’s discography, and I’m grateful to have walked back on my original intent of covering the compilation as a standalone entry. In a way, it helped me recognise the way that the band carried on X.’s legacy after his departure, and although I’ve never been a particularly spiritual person, I do hope he is at peace now.
Gone, but not forgotten.
Rating: 95%
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