In the recent years, neoromanticism is forming by a collective of black metal bands and has started taking its shape. We are no longer a part of nature. We do not find peace within the confines of the human senses. We yearn for the absolute emptiness of consciousness.
The desire for enlightenment and the discovery of truth, the one and only truth that is hidden within, stands in the way of this realization. Who but the ‘I’ is asking questions? Who but the ‘I’ is set to live confined and struggles for the unconfined? This is the eternal battle between ego and everything else that is being conceived, by the ego, as not itself. Unto this duality, life sprung from its own essence.
Hermes, the individual behind the band, is on that narrow and difficult path of self-realization. Will Hermes obtain his vision? Will he reach the point of no points? Will he heal all the wounds and apathetic desires? One must wait and see for himself, while Hermes will deliver the products of his journey.
His first creation is called, understandably, ‘Innerstanding’ and it is a black metal album that can be experienced as a whole, where the songs are interconnected and melding into each other seamlessly. His vision is based upon the intense melodicism of the guitars that tend to have a cosmic, astral feeling. Just listen to the second half of ‘take me to the stars’ and experience its uplifting melodies. An album that could be instrumental, since half the playing time is comprised solely by music.
Everything could work perfectly if there weren’t for two poor decisions. He is using a drum machine and that takes away from the album. It cannot be ignored, at least not by the ears of this writer. This plastic and mechanized, fixed sound is working against the music, rather than just support or promote it.
The second poorly executed part is the vocal performance. Apart from a few black screams in ‘Transcended Body’ and ‘a monument in time’, he chose to recite with a deep and imposing voice, along with the use of echo. He might have wanted to create a god like vocal delivery, which is weird, since the voice is the most humane and soulful instrument that can be used in music. But, the arrangement, the orchestration, the effects that are used for ambience and, most of all, the beautiful and intense guitar melodies make the whole album sound unique and powerful.
An astral journey to be lived, where planetary objects pass by you with extreme speed and suns are being swallowed by their own gigantic gravitational pull, imploding into a massive black hole of voidness where the only thing that passes through, are strings of conscious creation. Yes, the universe does scream but not for the very last time. It will be reformed, from astral dust to songs. I have complete faith in the vision of Hermes and his debut album should be regarded as a first step to an adventurous journey.
Take us to the stars.
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