Merrimack - Of Grace and Gravity
Of Grace and Gravity is Merrimack’s sixth full length album. The French band do not conform to Black Metal cliches particularly lyrically, and with Of Grace and Gravity, the non-conformity extends to the musicianship. Merrimack means infinite depth/abyss, and Of Grace and Gravity is certainly a journey into the darkness and beyond. At times it is difficult to interpret where Merrimack stand with God and faith, and the very entity that cast Lucifer away. Lyrically, the album is just as profound as the music is, exploring truth, faith, power, and opposition through a vacuum of converging universes.
"Sulphurean Synods" opens the album with a sonic masterclass in how to write and record dynamic extreme metal in the Marduk vein wearing a Watain cloak. It only takes 30 seconds to conclude that this is levels above production wise, alongside the songwriting and performances. The track is layered and forever evolving, but with incredible catchy moments that you can grasp onto. And straight up, that is the blueprint for Of Grave and Gravity. The drumming (and mixing of) is varied yet powerful and the melody that weaves in and out of monstrous riff central sections is a tier above, while a catchy tremolo section assists to glue the track’s explorative sections together.
Merrimack has released some good Black Metal albums with some memorable and catchy moments and varied atmosphere, drawing right back to "Suicide" from their debut album Ashes of Putrification (2012). However, Merrimack have never been able to pull it all together into a great or brilliant album. The Acausal Mass (2012) lacked the cohesion and the focus required to separate the great from the good. The ritualistic Omegaphilia upped the swagger but it still didn’t quite reach the heights of a Watain or Marduk.
The fast-paced onslaught of "Sublunar Despondancy" showcases the amazing vocal phrasing and cadence of Vestal. His vocals are pure venom, but not indecipherable, they are human and packed with integrity. Again, to pay attention to the drumming of Daethorn will reward in spades. "Dead and Distant Clamors" brings a Watain level of class to proceedings. What Merrimack do well is to balance the melody, the malice, and the ability to bring the listener in with memorable hooks. Sometimes you can only get to that place with experience, and while Merrimack have had plenty of moments over their career, they have truly struck gold with the brilliant Of Grace and Gravity. "Wounds that Heal" offers an early mid-paced stomp, with a guitar melody that sears until the vitriol is unleashed. As good as the guitar performances from Perversifier and A.K are, it is the rhythm section that brings the dynamics and variation together.
Tracks average around the 7-minute mark, and that gives Merrimack just the right amount of space and time to explore all the melodic, aggressive, and progressive moments without losing the fabric of each track and the album. "Starving Crowns" provides a breather for a moment before it gradually gains momentum and eventually breathes just as much fire as what has come before it, while the bullets that are fired throughout penultimate track "Under the Aimless Spheres" will not just maim. In what is largely an instrumental track, "Embalmer's Wine" does not end by keeping people guessing; the track possesses a level of uneasiness and helplessness that appears from the abyss that Merrimack has created on the six previous tracks.
Of Grace and Gravity has been produced superbly - it sounds fantastic, and the songwriting and performances of the band compliment each other. In a stacked year so far for extreme metal, Merrimack is currently on top with a killer release.