Album Review: Merrimack – Of Grace and Gravity (Season of Mist: Underground Activists)

Black metal band, Merrimack are back with their new release, ‘Of Grace and Gravity’, out on March 8th, 2024, via Season of Mist: Underground Activists.

Let the fires of hell be lit, Merrimack have emerged from the darkness and evil is ready to reign once again. The five-piece black metal band delivering a grotesque amalgamation of old-school wickedness but with modern layers of atmosphere and melody. It’s one of the grander black metal albums heard in some time, that is still exclusively rooted in the ‘traditional’ sound.

Credit must be given for the creativeness of the album, as Merrimack drop surprise after surprise while still being focused on crushing the spirit with emphatic heaviness. Their imaginations are running wild from the start with the behemoth that is Sulphurean Synods and that seems to become even more emboldened as Sublunar Despondency exposes even darker depths. The thick of vein of atmosphere running through this track is what really makes it special though.

Then, along comes Dead and Distant Clamors to change the tone up significantly and put melody at the forefront. Don’t be fooled though, it is still egregiously dark and horrible sounding. It just so happens to be so much more than just another black metal track.

Passing the halfway point, Merrimack continue to impress with the frenzied and experimental offering that is Wounds That Heal. Before getting even more expansive and elaborate with Starving Crowns. Earlier, you might have noticed some ‘post metal’ elements sneaking in here and there, but on this track they’re a bit more prominent. Not to the point of distraction though, as per usual, this is still an outright black metal cacophony of noise.

Something that applies to the gargantuan instrumentals, thick atmosphere, and demonic vocals that exists in Under the Aimless Spheres. One of the most horrifying tracks of all. Which is saying something as this entire album comes with a massive amount of the stuff. Case in point, the dark sound that oozes out of Embalmer’s Wine. Merrimack keeping the black metal at the forefront right to the end, but always coating it with sinister atmosphere.

Merrimack – Of Grace and Gravity Track Listing:

1. Sulphurean Synods
2. Sublunar Despondency
3. Dead and Distant Clamors
4. Wounds That Heal
5. Starving Crowns
6. Under the Aimless Spheres
7. Embalmer’s Wine

Links

Spotify | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Season of Mist