Artist: Near
Title: The Opening Of The Primordial Whirl
Type: Album
Label: ATMF

ATMF are a label that I always look forward to hearing from, as their releases tend to be of a high quality and usually suit my tastes rather well. Near hail from Italy and contain members of Tenebrae In Perpetuum among other less well-known bands, and this appears to be their first full-length having released a handful of demos since their inception in 2002. Now, whether or not you’ll want to rush out and get this to add to your collection wholly depends on whether you think the world really needs another Xasthur clone. The tone is dreary and depressive from the offset, painting quite a joyless picture of grey leaden skies and bleak landscapes. From the opening track ‘Ventrar,’ the tone of the guitars is rather caustic and definitely gives off some threatening vibes, while the callous, raw vocal delivery backs it up just nicely.

‘The Mountain’s Blood’ ups the ante, sounding really fierce although rhythmically it sounds very much a continuation from the previous track ‘Aquile Nere.’ I like the punkish, rollicking rhythm on ‘Human Illusion,’ which gives a slightly different flavour and breaks the monotony up a little. This album is as far from polished perfection as you can get; it sounds organic and is heavy on the distortion which is largely relied upon for creating such a grim ambience. The drums sound like they were recorded in a damp cellar, and on tracks like ‘Pian Della Cenere’ I can’t help but find the clumsy clattering more of a distraction than anything else. That said, things do pick up on this track and towards the end there’s a sweeping guitar melody that adds a sullen streak to proceedings which is followed up by the cold blast of ‘The Dead Side Of Human Nature.’

This album does succeed on the level of offering something with a cold and depressive atmosphere, and if that is all you are looking for then you will certainly find it here. However, those who are more versed in the genre and are looking for something that will stand out from the herd will probably find this a little dull and two-dimensional. It breaks no new turf and isn’t the most inspiring listen if I’m being truthful I’d rather hear a bit more originality especially having heard and reviewed quite a lot in this style of late. I must however point out that it is still early days for Near – the right ingredients are certainly here, so perhaps they will pull something truly impressive out of the bag in the not too distant future.

http://www.atmf.net/