I was truly surprised by last year’s The Gradual Immersion In Nihilism, this Greek band’s debut on Nebular Winter Productions (see update September 22nd 2014), and now, one year later, this band returns with the sophomore full album, Inhumane Minimalism, once again via the very same (top) label. Nine tracks this time, having a total running time of thirty two minutes. Once again the whole was mixed, engineered and mastered by K. Filip at the F&A Studio.
The duo X. and I. go on in the very same vein of their previous material, yet I have the idea that most compositions are worked out even more profoundly and technical than before. Yet the core remains the same: mainly fast-paced (though there are lots of slower moments too!), highly melodic (read: the craftsmanship of tremolo riffage) and extremely grim, obscure and rough Black Metal with a specific Second Wave attitude. The latter goes as well for the sound, being raw and unpolished, yet truly decently created and produced. The mix offers all players (read: every instrument involved) its own role within the whole play, without denigrating any of them towards lower levels. What’s more: it delivers the whole experience a specific touch of Epic (indeed, Epic with capital ‘e’!). and especially when it comes to the guitar leads and drum parts (which are simply superior!), that sound is prolific. But in general about every single piece on Inhumane Minimalism is of a superb quality, music-wise, composition-wise, performance-wise. Bottomless, Decay, …, actually I need to sum up all of them, for each of them has something that exceeds the grey masses.
It is remarkable how such young duo can be able to create this kind of material with such high quality. The whole is filled with anger, hate, misanthropy and disgust, yet with quite some nostalgia, melancholy and atmosphere too. The latter goes for the slower pieces especially, evidently, yet not necessarily. Also the proud, epic, victorious identity is a surplus for sure.
Highly recommended if you are ‘into’ the scenes from, let’s say, Greece (yet that’s rather logic, I guess), Poland, Norway, Belgium, Finland or Botswana.