ITP REVIEW: MERRIMACK: GREY RIGORISM

*BAND: MERRIMACK (FRANCE) ** GENRE-BLACK METAL ***LABEL-MORIBUND CULT/OSMOSE PRODUCTIONS****RELEASE DATE: 8/25/09
******PREVIOUS RELEASES (CATALOG):

	(Demo, 1995)
	(Demo, 1995)
	(Split, 1998)
	(Demo, 2001)
	(Split, 2002)
	( “Ashes of Purification”-2002-ELEGY RECORDS (USA)/ GOATOWAREX (AUSTRALIA)
	(Best of/Compilation, 2004 CD- MORIBUND CULT RECORDS (USA) ) 2005 “Of Entropy and Life Denial” CD/LP/TS MORIBUND CULT RECORDS (USA) 2006 “Grey Rigorism” CD/LP/TS MORIBUND CULT RECORDS/OSMOSE PRODUCTIONS (USA/FR) 2009

******BEST RELEASE: OF ENTROPY AND LIFE DENIAL (2006)
********TRACKLISTING: MERRIMACK: GREY RIGORISM:
01. The Golden Door
02. Omniabsense
03. Kirjath-Ra
04. La Saintete Du Mal
05. Cold Earth Mourning
06. Grey Rigorism
07. When The Stars Align
08. Desaveu
09. In The Halls Of White Death
10. By Thy Grace

ITP RATING: *** PRODUCTION: *** 1/2 SONGWRITING: *** PERFORMANCE: *** 1/2 The French black metal and death metal scene have always had a strong sense of identity with such unholy acts as DEATHSPELL OMEGA, BLUT AUS NORD, PESTE NOIR, SPEKTR, ARKHON INFAUSTUS, S.V.E.S.T, GLORIOR BELLI, VLAD TEPES. LLN releases put FRANCE on the map as certainly one of the best extreme metal scenes in music. MERRIMACK (FRANCE) are no slouches either, a demo band with a KULT following for years, this blasphemous black metal band caught my attention with their ungodly 2006 release "Of Entropy and Life Denial". So we at ITP have MERRIMACK's latest release "Grey Rigorism", a somewhat down tempo, generic effort, covering teritories the veterans of the black metal scene have done far better. MERRIMACK's GREY RIGORISM opens with a track entitled "The Door", with an almost bluesy, doomy intro, straight into the blasphemous, complex black metal and at 1:33 a groovey tempo change and back into the pits of satanic hell."The Door" integrates some good down tempo parts into the usual blasting, almost a dirty black and roll feel, and heavy as hell. Me likes.. "Omniabsense" enters the bowels of hell with a psychedelic atmosphere, down tempo, progressive post rock riffing, before upping the ante into sick, atmospheric blasting black metal. "Kirjath-Ra" invokes a post rock intro, before the satanic metal horns are raised for a good down tempo segue, blasting into your nightmares. "La Saintete Du Mal " fades in as the shortest track on "GREY RIGORISM", a practically instrumental track, with a pompous sludgy riff and French spoken word. "Cold Earth Mourning" crawls in with some melodic black metal riffage and good, understated tempo changes.. The title track of "GREY RIGORISM" enters with weird ambient effects, a down tuned, dark metal jam out with not much variation. At 4: 17 "GREY RIGORISM", ups the ante to blasting, but not so epic black metal, kinda generic and standard fare. "When The Stars Align", creeps up from the cosmos with good riffing, and good musicianship, as little more variety in tempo would be better as these songs tend to bleed into one another as the riffs are too repititive. "Desaveu" is a yet anther fuzz, induced creepy instrumental track with, again French spoken word. "In The Halls Of White Death" is another down tempo bore black/ fest, until 2:56 when FINALLY there is a riff, change, and by then you're almost relived of the new "riff".. MERRIMACKS "GREY RIGORISM" concludes with end track "By Thy Grace", a 13:13 second (epic?) crawling into a satanic abyss of spoken word, with quality black metal riffs, and tempo changes, a whirlwind of melodic riffage, until.. MERRIMACK get caught in this trap of post black rock, lagging the song structure, for lack of innovative musical ideas.. There are some cool melodic riffs in "By Thy Grace", but the down tempo parts, again bore me to tears.. MERRIMACKS "Grey Rigorism" features clean production, but an empty musical pallet of down tempo, repetitive lagging riffs. :Shrugs: Hey, I listen to alot of funeral doom, so repetitive riffs don't bother me, if well written invoking a hellish atmosphere. MERRIMACK's "Grey Rigorism" tread the same territory that black metal veteran warlords have done before, as the elite of black metal perform with a more evil grit, invoking an atmosphere. MERRIMACK are caught wandering in the barren forest of generic sensibilities, a disappointment of sorts, as the bands previous effort featured better songwriting. ITP RATING: *** PRODUCTION: *** 1/2 SONGWRITING: *** PERFORMANCE: *** 1/2 Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal-\m/ -l-

Ashes Of Purification (CD, Album, Ltd)		Elegy Records	2002
Ashes Of Purification (LP)		GoatowaRex	2005
Of Entropy And Life Denial (CD, Album)		Moribund Records	2006
Of Entropy And Life Denial (LP, Album, Ltd, Red)		Moribund Records	2006