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Nominon: The cleansing
07/12/12 || gk
Nominon started off in the early 1990’s and have been religiously releasing albums for a while now with “The cleansing” being the bands fifth full length. My first exposure to these Swedes was 2010’s “Monumentomb” which was an impressive slice of old school death metal with some leanings towards thrash. I’ve been waiting on this new album for a while now and fortunately Nominon do not disappoint.
Right from proper album opener “In the name of Gomorrah”, it’s apparent that these guys are in top form. Classic old school Swedish death metal, a hint of thrash riffing and a vague Swedish black metal approach all vie for space and its one hell of a way to start things off. “Mausoleum” has a particularly rabid performance from vocalist Henke Skoog and manages to be relentless and catchy at the same time. “Unholy sacrifice” has this really awesome old school atmosphere going for it while the instrumental title track is a swirling maelstrom of riffs that ends just as it reaches critical mass. “Abhorrent parasites” is another impressive song mining a death thrash vibe initially before going off into a decidedly blackened death metal approach in the second half. “Hellwitch” has a death’n roll swagger to it that is hugely entertaining while “Son of doom” is measured and brooding. The album ends with the superb “Infernal rites” which is a perfect mix of old school Swedish death metal and some melodic harmonized riffing.
The band sounds great here. The guitars are razor sharp and clear, the vocals are comforting in their mid-range rasp and the bass is solid in the back. The only problem I have is the drum sound which sounds muffled and lacks a bit of power. Still, the quality of songs on offer make up for my little complaints.
I could say that there’s nothing new here and Nominon are simply mining the traditional Swedish death metal sound and on the surface that would be true. However, what has always kept these guys a bit distinct have been the little touches of thrash, black metal, the occasional death n roll riff and the ability to write memorable songs. All of these qualities are displayed fully here and the result is an album that is well worth checking out.
Don’t expect a reinvention of the wheel. Just expect a solid and satisfying album that stays true to its Swedish death metal roots but has enough meat on its bones to satisfy just about anyone into this sound.
- Information
- Released: 2012
- Label: Deathgasm Records
- Website: Nominon Facebook
- Band
- Henke Skoog: vocals
- Alexander Lyrbo: guitars
- Christian Strömblad: guitars
- Juha Sulasalmi: bass
- Per Karlsson: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. Satanical Incubation (Intro)
- 02. In the Name of Gomorrah
- 03. Mausoleum
- 04. Unholy Sacrifice
- 05. The Cleansing
- 06. Abhorrent Parasites
- 07. Hellwitch
- 08. Obliteration
- 09. Son of Doom
- 10. Infernal Rites
