UNMENSCH – Scorn
- Posted on 09-09-2019
Unmensch is essentially a one-man black metal outfit hailing from Belgium and as far as my coffee-soaked brain can make out, this is the very first release ever by the band in the sense that I am not aware of any demos or rehearsals or anything like that floating around out there on the web.
Unmensch dabbles in bleak and windswept black metal with a strong emphasis on forlorn melodies and morose vibes. The result is quite satisfying in that one can sense a certain amount of passion and thought having been poured into the creation of this eight-track record. On top of that, main man ZR clearly knows how to vary the compositions, which is to say that they range from your more typical fast-paced black metal sections to real slow parts and even a bunch of all-out mellow passages. The sound and production of the album does unfortunately come across as slightly flat in places and lacks dynamics, but again, the riffs and melodies are good and many of the song arrangements also deserve praise as does the sparse use of keyboards. “Scorn” is hardly what you would call fiercely creative or inventive, but although it does not add anything new to the genre, it is a solid and enjoyable piece of work.
“Scorn” is firmly rooted in old-school black metal and it is certainly a raw and unpolished affair, which is cool, but the disc also shows a lot of potential for what is to come in the future. As I remarked earlier on, Unmensch has a real knack for churning out melodies and riffs with a lot of substance and atmosphere to them, so I am looking forward to the follow-up to this 49-minute blast through desolate and moody metal from the pitch black maelstrom of Belgium. This is very traditional in tone, style, and outlook, and its misanthropic undertones remind me slightly of Lord Belial and Setherial (and to a lesser extent early Taake and Gorgoroth), so give this one a try if you are on the lookout for some cold black metal. Standout tracks: “Storm Breaks Loose” and “The Path”.