ALBUM REVIEW: Adore – Numenorean

Whether folk like it or not, the post-black metal and black-gaze musical movements have welcomed in a whole new creative avenue for the black metal genre. Being able to fuse a sound that has historically been one embedded in a refusal to follow any rules is not easy feet. The genre openly made its own rules, and is lauded for being raw and emotionally intense as a result. When bands like DEAFHEAVEN come into play, those features fade into the back and are replaced with new infusions to the core black metal sound. A band that are really trying to pull the genre forward currently are NUMENOREAN, who are releasing their second offering Adore via Season Of Mist this year. Where DEAFHEAVEN started the movement, NUMENOREAN are trying to inject further inspirations into the blueprint.

Now, the beauty about black metal has always been it’s ability to do so much more with less, and Adore seems to try and live by that motto to start things off. Nocebo is a calm opening that segues into Portrait Of Pieces slow start. This is an interesting start to proceedings, but don’t be surprised if you catch yourself double checking when things are really going to kick off like one would expect from a band such as NUMENOREAN. The best black-gaze will elicit strong emotions from the smallest of musical movements, and NUMENOREAN certainly try for this but there always seems to be a lingering feeling of something being a bit off.

This could come down to a number of things. First off is the true give and take of the overwhelming influences that find their way onto the record. Whilst this is might portray itself as a post-black metal record, there is very little in the way of what is considered the current standard. Horizons is the moment when the penny will drop. When the wretched screams come in a top the blasting drums is the first true reminder of the extreme roots this sound was born of. Horizons goes further to include a chorus, and a real sense of inspiration from more expected musical roots. Whilst it works, and provides a real highlight for the album, the song also progresses quickly and doesn’t give time for the listener to truly appreciate the blending of sounds.

Where as on the title track, Adore, the length is switched out for less demanding structures and a truly meandering pace. There doesn’t feel to be much consistency in Adore. There are moments in the album like And Nothing Was The Same that feel like they should be triumphant emotional releases of musical joy. But they feel misplaced in the record, and placed for the sake of having them there as well. The record feels disconnected as a result, and this is a real detriment on the band as they try to reach the lofty heights they so clearly aspire to reach.

There is a real need to at least applaud NUMENOREAN for the sheer amount of effort they have clearly thrown into the conception of their sound. The sheer amount of musical influence makes for a rich musical pallet that is a joy when it hits the right notes. Considering the band got a lot of flak for a gruesome album cover on their debut and the band seem to be fully involved in the post-black metal movement there is an air of expectations not met when you listen to Adore. This is an album with so many influences it taints the original product a little bit. NUMENOREAN push the boundaries a little to far in a wrong direction a few too many times in Adore for it to truly take off.

Rating: 6/10

Adore is out now via Season Of Mist. 

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