(Shadow Records)
Total Time: 01:14:02
Attention!! This review is not objective. MEPHORASH are a Swedish band since 2010 and “Shem Ha Mephorash” is their fourth, most ambitious album to date. In the beginning, they started out as a musical mixture of DIMMU BORGIR and MARDUK and released 2 albums, “Death Awakens” and “Chalice OfThagirion”. Sadly, they were both awful.
Then, MEPHORASH decided to change their style. Their guitarist, also in MALIGN, he had some good orthodox ideas, later brought the MALIGN / OFERMOD singer to help the situation, and eventually turned the group into a more “adult” course.
All these led to this year’s “Shem Ha Mephorash”. What We Have Here;; Masks, rashes, banners. Thank BATUSHKA for that. Both of them… The cover art reminds of ASCENSION and SCHAMMASH covers. Musically, we are dealing with dark, ritual black / death metal, but not as extreme as they think. Main influences are BEHEMOTH of the last two mischievous albums, SCHAMMASH, much more empty and fluffy though, and in some pompous, symphonic parts (eg in “Sanguinem”) latest SEPTIC FLESH. I have to add that the total running time is 74 minutes!!!
If you like the mentioned influences, you may like “Sham He Mephorash” better than me. Personally I find it boring, overloaded, harmless, with delusions of grandeur. So, strictly subjective ……….
Rating: 4/10
Labros Katsakioris
