Artist: Nomad
Title: Transmigration of Consciousness
Type: Album
Label: Witching Hour Productions

Like Grimsby fish or an Axminster carpet, Polish Death Metal is one of those things you can rely on as trademark of quality. With it comes an image of harshness and sometimes of musical toil, but this is where the mixing process comes in. For their fifth album release “Transmigration of Consciousness”, Nomad used the Bialystok Hertz studio, notable for their work on productions by Vader, Behemoth, Decapitated, Abused Majesty, Devilish Impressions and basically anyone who is anyone in this genre.

This album is unusual in a number of ways. Each track is preceded by an intro, so there are 8 intros, 8 tracks and a brief outro. The most important thing is that the intros are appropriate. They are that, and provide a continuous link between tracks. There’s an industrial nature about most of them, save one near the end which has the distorted sounds of the fairground. This is an album without fancy gimmicks. The style of the tracks treads a line between harshness and a measured pace with plenty of action in the middle. The riffs are exciting and for the most part run along mechanically, giving the impression we’re on a train powering along to our final destination. The vocals are harsh of course, recalling Behemoth’s Nergal and others, but above all this album is outstanding for the quality of its creativity. “The Demon’s Breath” sets the scene. The build-up sounds as if it’s going to be orchestral but the mechanical rhythm takes over. Below the deep surface, there is a range of sounds. There’s danger in the air as the track chugs on. The whispering danger takes us through the next intro and we’re led into the deep and lush guitar sounds of “”Dazzling Black”. The sharpness is like the sound of violins. Meanwhile the vocalist growls out his miserable tale. It’s like hammering through steel. As we move into the next intro, there’s a buzzing sound coming from our imaginary factory and the murmurings of people. Cue the sounds of razor-sharp guitar and thumping drums and off we go into “Identity with Personification”. Once again there is an air of danger as the atmosphere heightens. I imagine a thousand spectators, myself included, looking on, our heads nodding up and down together to the mechanical rhythm. It goes through your head and is exciting as it comes at you from all angles and directions. There’s virtuosity in the guitar work but there’s no space or allowance for prima donnas here. This is industrial Death Metal at its best. And so it continues. At times it’s the musical equivalent of a battering ram. It can be terrifying and ferocious. If there were a newspaper headline for “Pearl Evil”, it might be “Man with Sore Throat accompanies Majestic Music”. “Flames of Tomorrow” is accusatory, grim, self-exploring and nihilistic in its tone and words. There are sophisticated drum patterns, imperious heaviness and the inevitable harshness. After another journey on the express train with “Raised Irony”, it all ends with “Four Percent of Hate”, where fast-paced ghoulish turbulence develops into a tribal Death Metal chant.

Is this the new face of Polish Death Metal? In fact Nomad have been around since 1994, and it is impressive that, with the help of great sound production quality, they should be able to produce a work of such heightened atmosphere as this. “Transmigration of Consciousness” is invigorating and exciting. Get on board the train, and enjoy the journey.

http://www.myspace.com/nomadsatanicdeathmetal

Andrew Doherty

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