Let Clarity Succumb

Necromorbus is by now well known and respected. It seems that everything the guy takes part in turns to gold. This being his solo project, I had high hopes which were fulfilled - but not completely. It's a rather small offering in length, but it shows potential for the future. There's nothing mind-blowing, but it's solid material from start to finish.

Let Clarity Succumb falls somewhere within the realm of Ondskapt and Watain without coming off as imitation. The production, as to be expected, is superb (not in the ultra-polished sense). If you're familiar with the Necromorbus Studio sound, you know what to expect. Each instrument can be heard and it all fits into the bigger picture nicely. Necromorbus also shows himself to be a truly versatile musician, especially on vocal duty. His delivery is simultaneously restrained and empowered, often reminiscent of Nord from Malign. I think a bit more attention could have been paid to song structure and arrangement, but in the end it still works.

The only major downside is the absence of climax. Each song is great on it's own, but nothing really hits the listener and forces attention. There aren't any hooks or even remotely catchy lines to be found. That's not to say that I wanted this to be sing-along black metal, but it doesn't hurt to engage your audience every now and then. The brevity of the EP works well for this reason. If it were any longer, the listener would eventually become numb to it. Overall, I think this is money well spent. It's not something that I'll put on daily, but I'm certainly glad that I bought it. Any fan of the Swedish "orthodox" scene should enjoy this.