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Ghamorean

Terra Ruina

Written by: PP on 29/03/2011 18:54:26

Umeå, Sweden based blackened death metal band Ghamorean have reached their third album with "Terra Ruina", and from what I've been able to deduct from a short online research session, their previous two records have garnered critical acclaim in the few reviews that I managed to unearth, given the relative obscurity of this trio. Apparently Ghamorean have a tendency to cause metal fans start scratching their head due to their willingness to push the envelope of metal in numerous directions.

"Terra Ruina" has also been credited as being a good album in most places, if for nothing else but its unusual approach to blackened death metal which not just combines the aggressive pace and technicality of death metal with eerie black metal atmospheric passages, but also throws off the listener with surprising groove and layers of melody that take the band into places uncommon for their peers. Those, by the way, would be the likes of Aosoth, Emperor, Celtic Frost, and Mayhem, all of whom Ghamorean reference in their sound to some extent. If that sounds like an odd mixture of bands on paper, it's because Ghamorean seamlessly transition between tremolo-lead black metal, brutal death metal sequences as well as groovy technical passages.

While this makes for an interesting starting point to "Terra Ruina", it can also be a bit of a distraction, at least in the opinion of the undersigned. Ghamorean sure manage to surprise on all eight tracks and 48 minutes, but they rarely impress enough to justify a buy-now sort of recommendation. The album has its immense moments in equal part to crazy bits, but something's missing before Ghamorean can lift themselves out of the obscure underground.

Download: "Underneath Gray Heavens", "In Man, A Plague"
For the fans of: Aosoth, Emperor, Celtic Frost, Mayhem
Listen: Myspace

Release date 28.01.2011
Discouraged Records