ALBUM REVIEW: Bearer Of Many Names – Eremit

For fans of CONAN and PRIMITIVE MAN comes the second full length from German sludge-doom visionaries EREMIT. Bearer Of Many Names clocks in at 70 minutes, and at only three tracks, it’s clear we’re in for some truly epic song-writing. But does the album hold the attention of its listeners or fail to keep us interested for its duration?

For songs as long as this, it’s important to have a story. Whilst it’s not possible to tell exactly what’s going on, due to the lack of lyric sheet, it’s evident from the musicality of this record and the atmosphere it creates that this band have a clear narrative in mind. The movement from ambient atmosphere-setting comes thick and fast in the first track. Suddenly, we have blackened post-metal with tangible emotion at eight minutes into track one, Enshrined in Indissoluble Chains and Enlightenment. 

The instrumentation after the change remains well-layered and texturally interesting, but doesn’t develop musically for another five minutes. This is fine if you like your doom to really take its time, but may prove a little testing for some listeners. The album is certainly not a quick fix, that’s for sure. 

The mythological components of EREMIT are something to be truly commended; they’ve been telling a story from their debut album, through the subsequent EP and are now concluding it on this release. The commitment to storytelling is really impressive, even if we have no idea what the lyrics are. Those already in the know will find the continuity satisfying, and it’s certainly a great way to keep your fans interested in future projects. Newer listeners, if they’re prepared, will be drawn into a mystical world – not necessarily a happy one, but one that is luscious and rich with storytelling and lore. Listening to this album is like stepping through a door into an alternate dimension, one in which riffs and misery reign supreme. Whether that’s your thing or not, this is an incredibly impressive release.

The difference between the more ambient passages and the heaviest moments of this record really indicate the breadth of this band’s talents as songwriters and musicians. There are even moments in final track Unmapped Territories of Clans Without Names where the music threatens to get… fast (on a doom release?!) It’s a really meaty album to sink your teeth into, and those who are patient will be rewarded with what must be the most epic doom release this year.

Rating: 7/10

Bearer Of Many Names is set for release on June 11th via Transcending Obscurity Records.

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