'Nykta' was my introduction to the great music if Zemial a few years ago and I'm currently on a bit of a buzz for their older material, and have ordered some of the back catalogue. Greek BM is quite a distinctive style and certainly Zemial fit into that, but they (or he) is in no way confined by it. I had a feeling that delving backward from the vast, sprawling and diverse 'Nykta' might be a bit disappointing, possibly accounting for my reticence in doing so, as I expected it to be more typically Norwegian sounding for some reason. I couldn't have been more wrong. Going right back to the early stuff you can hear many of the same traits present from the start. Catchy black thrash music with a quite clear production and an emphasis on heavy metal earworms. They hardly ever seem to get a mention alongside Rotting Christ, Varathron or Necromantia which is a bit of a crime as they are easily equal to those bands and arguably have been more consistent in terms of quality. Hopefully there will be a new full length soon but in the mean time I'm happy to continue to work through the back catalogue.
https://zemial.bandcamp.com/
Two full lengths on the way actually, one in the old black thrash style, one the more proggy, spaced-out end.
Deadly! I'm off Facebook so I'm out of the loop in terms of band news. Any idea when they'll be out?
The 'In Monumentum' CD (and 'Necrolatry' t-shirt) arrived today and l have her spinning here now. Not as adventurous as 'Nykta', perhaps, but it sounds good to me. The title track is total 'Hammerheart' worship which is always welcome.
He says they're written and demoed and recording will start soon. To be released through Agonia.
There's a reissue on vinyl of For The Glory of Ur due out any time now too.
It's out already and available from their bandcamp page.
The 'Face of the Conqueror/ Necrolatry' CD arrived yesterday. Savage pair of EPs. It's gas, you could easily argue that Zemial's music is totally generic, and in many ways it is- a lot of the riffs follow simple well-trod ground (a bit of Celtic Frost here, a bit of Sodom there, a bit of Bathory over yonder)- but there's some black magic in the mix that makes it so much more than the sum of its parts. Nice drumming helps, killer vocal delivery helps too and the great production certainly helps. Excited to hear the new albums.
New interview online.
https://corruptselection.proseful.com/corrupt-conversation-or-zemial
https://zemial.bandcamp.com/album/to-slay-with-silent-dagger-maxi-ep?from=fanpub_fb
This is from the new album and there'll be another two songs released next week. Sounds good to me. Sounds like.... ZEMIAL! No complaints from me 8)
Sounds class
Tis deadly. And that solo on To Slay... is sublime.
I'm glad Proscriptor has more of a background role. To be honest, I'm not really sure why he's even there as Vorskaath is well able to handle everything, but I don't mind his vocals as a backing element I suppose.
Finally bit the bullet and grabbed the CD and t-shirt. Fuck it!
To Slay With Silent Dagger is a whopper of a song. Jesus.
We saw them in Bucharest last Friday at Old Grave Fest and it was fantastic. They are actually even better live.
They played a song of the upcoming album, very old school.
I would love to see them live. I hope those two albums aren't too far off.
𝙕𝙀𝙈𝙄𝘼𝙇 - "𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙍𝙚𝙥𝙪𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨" 𝙇𝙋
Those who know Zemial are aware of the progressive and off-centered approach they have taken since their beginning in 1989 and how influential they have been on the burgeoning black metal underground of the time.
None of their releases have been readily accessible or easy to grasp and that's a quality that we at Iron Tyrant have silently but steadfastly admired, as it is one of the few tell-tale signs of genius at play.
Clocking in at around 15 minutes, The Repairer of Reputations is a Victorian era tale that follows the dark journey into the psyche and inner world of an embittered megalomaniac.
The song features exceptional song-writing, revealing Zemial's progressive rock side. The production follows a mellow 70s aesthetic in instrumentation, recording and mixing, making it sound authentically old.
Although recorded back in 2016 and originally composed as part of a future album, it was eventually decided to commit this one-of-a-kind composition to its own to release.
To complement the dark tale aesthetic of the release, mastermind Vorskaath unburied one of the greatest songs that Black Sabbath ever penned, namely "The Sign of the Southern Cross" and rearranged it under the Zemial banner, with additional parts and elements, making it a perfect companion to complete the LP.
What you can certainly expect within this LP is the combination of two dark pieces of music that effortlessly dance between 70's prog rock and 80s heavy metal, with an aesthetic to match the music, in both artwork and layout.
While not entirely representative of the past, present, or future Zemial sound, it is our aim that this release reaches the shelves of the true underground connoisseurs - those who are not afraid to dive into the such uncharted brilliance.
Available as regular Black or as limited Green Marble Vinyl, including a 4 page insert.
Official Release Date is Summer Solstice 2024.
It will be good to have The Repairer of Reputations on vinyl at last but it's a shame he continues to release EPs while the two albums that were promised two years ago are still nowhere to be seen.
Edit. Those two albums were announced FIVE years ago... how did that happen.
Only have the face.of.the conquerer ep and for the glory of ur .
Like that and haven't delved further