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Band: Zornheym
Album title: Where Hatred Dwells And Darkness Reigns
Release date: 15 September 2017
Label: Non Serviam Records
Tracklist:
01. The Opposed
02. Subjugation Of The Cellist
03. A Silent God
04. Prologue To A Hypnosis
05. Trifecta Of Horrors
06. And The Darkness Came Swiftly
07. Whom The Night Brings...
08. Decessit Vita Patris
09. Hestia
"Our darkness is learned. It is bred through an existence of hatred. But we can fix you. Give yourself into our care. Submission is key...”
A genius, a brilliant mind that must be preserved for posterity, icon of perception, intelligence, dedication and artistic overcoming. Zornheym's absolute creator, I'm talking about Zorn (Tomas Nilsson), former Dark Funeral and actual guitarist of the Swedish band Aktiv Dödshjälp, together with vocalist Bendler (Facebreaker guitarist), drummer Angst (Diabolical) and guitarist/composer Scucca, comes a monumental conceptual album with an impeccable theme released through the cult label Non Serviam Records.
Zorn's research on the thematic concept of the album is quite impressive and it gives me pleasure when extreme metal bands that I cherish really show that our style is unique because it is sometimes also intelligent. Zorn watched many documentaries about serial killers, detainees with the most varied mental disorders, including interviews with some prisoners. All this pre-work, as I like to call it, just for when writing the tales about the patients of Zornheim the psychiatric hospital, he could portray his characters with a minimum of humanity. All tales were then based on real serial killers, real stories, urban legends and myths.
The album has a magnificent cover artwork that gives some chills, done by Pedro Sena, and brings also a stunning graphical material illustrated by Anu Bring, a novel to expand on the story of each song. So, you listen to the song and read about each one of them, and... let me tell you a secret, it's amazing and sometimes your spine will freeze with the reality that emanates in a veiled form from each track of the album. Where Hatred Dwells And Darkness Reigns is a symphonic extreme black metal album that blends a refined dark melody with crushing riffs, amazing acoustic guitars and percussion, stunningly orchestrated for a poetic psychological story. Plus, the classical instruments as violin, cello, harpsichord and the “Chorus Tenebris” by their own and a great string orchestra.
Consisting of nine tracks, six of them dedicated to patients and three transitional tracks to serve you with a consistent experience behind the walls of Zornheim. I loved the album, I liked all the tracks, all the work involved was mastered with perfection, and I have nothing negative to comment on. The first track, "The Opposed", it’s all about intensity and a real blackened metal masterfully blended with the string orchestra and the choir. The tracks 2, 4 and 6 are short transactional hauntings and sometimes going far into kind of uncomfortable dark ambient, in one moment it's sounding melodic and peaceful, at other times twisted, evil and insane.
"A Silent God" brings more feral vocals and some rageful drumming, then the tracks like "Whom The Night Brings", "Decessit Vita Patris" and "Hestia" are fast and furious and for sure you'll listen more than one time the entire album, I assure you. I'm very impressed with this astonishing release, no doubts, highly recommended!
Review written by: Felin Frost
Rating: 9,5/10
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