Review by Felix on August 10, 2021.

Nehёmah released three full lengths from 2002 to 2004. Both the quality and the quantity of their creative output made them appear like a great promise for the future. Moreover, the artworks and song titles like 'Black Winds Over The Walls Of Csejthe' underlined their true solidarity with the pitch-black underground. But this promise to the future remained unfulfilled. Today, one can say Nehёmah have become their own “Shadow(s) of the Past…”

France is well known for some very individual representatives of the black metal scene, but the here presented trio marked an exception to the norm. Two Scandinavian song titles show the band’s weakness for the Northern role models of the second wave and indeed, Nehёmah could originate from every black metal location. Their comparatively low fidelity sound has a tragic and apocalyptic note, but stormy, mostly ice-cold outbreaks are also available here. Therefore, I do not speak about “suicidal” or “depressive” black metal. Inter alia due to the raw, throaty and misanthropic vocals, Shadows Of The Past… does not have a whiny undertone and I am glad about it. 'Selvmord', for instance, holds a lot of sections that are not too far away from the ingenious noise Darkthrone created on “Transilvanian Hunger”. But the French trio also knows how to pen stoic rhythms at rest with themselves. From these follows, that none of the eight regular tracks (including the short outro) falls through the cracks – and we all know that such a coherent configuration is definitely no matter of course, especially when it comes to an album with a playtime of more than 50 minutes. By the way, the ninth song is placed on position 33 (stupid gimmick). It is Bathory’s “Call From The Grave”. Needless to say that the dudes from France stick pretty close to the original – as mentioned before, the Scandinavian scene was obviously a great influence. Quorthon cover no. 1.356, so to say, but who cares. It’s better to get 100 cover versions of a 100% classic than to get five of a 5% shit album.

Shadows Fom The Past… works as a whole. It is hard or even impossible to identify the best song of the album, because all of them are on a remarkable level. Additionally, they rely on more or less the same ingredients. The underground-affine production would have benefited from a slightly higher degree of power and directness, but this is nothing that really affects the overall impression in a negative way. The same applies for the melodies – they are expressive, but there would have been a little room for improvement as well. However, at the end of the day, Nehёmah’s work from 2003 is a strong piece of black metal. You can make a lot of wrong decisions in life but buying this album would not be one of them.

Rating: 8.2 out of 10

Review by Felix on April 2, 2022.

I ordered this CD due to a friendly recommendation from a guy with an enormous black metal expertise. Finnish black metal is almost always a good choice, isn’t it? Devil Crisis is no classic album, because it has been recorded in different sessions from 2012 to 2018. Therefore you might not expect a very homogeneous work. But after all, only the closer, a boozy, primitive black thrash number of the lesser strong kind, takes another road than the remaining tracks. However, there is some good music to discover here. In addition, we also find a somewhat stupid spoken words part at the beginning of 'Chi No Namida'. It is a German text about good, evil and all this generic nonsense, but let’s forget this flow-hurting babbling and enjoy the musical content.

The opener delivers typical black metal from Suomi. Diaboli, Pestiferous and further comparable bands nod their heads benevolently and applaud. It is this classic kind of opener, fast, straight and a little catchy. 'Thy Deviant' points into the same direction while adding a spooky touch at the same time. Just like the output’s late highlight 'The Witch Of My Heart', it holds some discreet keyboard melodies. They seem to be inspired by Dimmu Borgir before these jesters went wrong. But the ruling element is naturally presented by the powerful guitars that celebrate their pretty cold harmonies stoically. The rasping nagging of the vocalist completes the picture and I enjoy the fact that no single second of this song is boring – no matter of course in view of the fact that it crosses the ten minutes mark. 'Spellbound' on the third position also offers high velocity, small but vile melodies and an appropriate atmosphere. Okay, The True Werwolf do not play a very drastic, radical or extreme form of black metal and they cannot win an award for innovation. But they remind us of the strength of generic black metal and they do it competently.

Production-wise, the two protagonists also have no groundbreaking new features in their portfolio. The mix spreads enough underground vibes to underline the spirit and the authenticity of the band, but it also does not fall victim to a washed-out, dull or powerless performance. I enjoy the solid harshness and the proper depth of the sound. Therefore, I am happy to pass on the recommendation of the expert mentioned in the first sentence. The True Werewolf are perhaps not a band you absolutely have to know, as you can get what they offer elsewhere. But black metal does not need innovation, it asks for honesty – and Devil Crisis is a good record, not only from this perspective.

Rating: 7.9 out of 10