Review Summary: Nomura hails from tha abyss to sink you down
Nomura is a young band coming from the dark streets of Bari, located in the south of Italy. Nomura is the zoological name of a giant cnidarian jellyfish appearing on the cover art of the EP Inerte affondare (Motionless sinking). This beast looks like it is coming out from a horror movie set in the deep abyss. This type of jellyfish is even bigger than a man and, albeit having somewhat thin tentacles, it seems to be ready to effortlessly drag you down the shallows of the ocean. The name of the band is fitting to the sound they ought to produce, brooding and down tuned to the lowest sonorities. Nomura plays a peculiar style of blackened hardcore clearly paying homage from the distinct sound of the (in)famous Deathwish productions. However, describing the band as blackened hardcore only would be a bit reductive, as it is also possible to hear few melodic influences from the post-rock, while also showing a peculiarity for sludgy riffs.
The Ep Inerte affondare clocks at a little more than 20 minutes, which is about the right time for such a concentrated punishing sound. For the same reason Nails’ albums are designed to be no longer than about 15 minutes, it feels that a longer running time for Inerte affondare would have probably resulted in an over-stretch. The Ep kicks in with the track Nebbia (Fog) showcasing melodic guitar riffs leading to typical Hc beats and throat-wrecking screams from the vocalist. However, the atmospheres of the song are delicate and the employment of climaxes and tempos switches manage to keep the record fresh and never stalling. The record makes use of wind-like sounds that convincingly set the mood of the track giving it sonic depth in a genre too often making use of the same rhythmic patterns. Here I have to spend a few praising words on the vocalist Davide, which seems to have absolutely no regards for his vocal chords, and that breaths vitality in the records with a very heartfelt performance.
The following track Foschia (Thin mist) is less atmospheric and shows a more direct hardcore approach after introducing some doomy riffs. The vocals are shrieked in Jacob Bannon’s style, but the riffs sometimes turn towards a more melodic taste. Inerte Affondare flows into Ageusia, which is the inability to perceive taste. This seems to be the driving theme of the album, a slow sinking into apathy. The riffs are malevolent and the formula of alternating melodic riffs drenched in dark atmospheres to hard-hitting violence makes the album flows very well. Vento Contro (Wind against) introduces some Oathbreaker inspired moments that could easily fit into Eros|Anteros, while also presenting the first and only breakdown of the album with layered vocals on top. Finally, Nomura closes the album with Apnea, track mixing blackened atmospheres with post-hardcore riffing.
The year 2016 has been an incredible year for metal, with bands such as Vektor, Oranssi Pazuzu, Oathbreaker, The Dillinger Escape Plan and many others producing extremely high quality albums. In this variety of established extreme acts it is very easy to overlook new projects. However, all metal and punk fans should at least give Inerte affondare one spin, as the band managed to pull a fresh and hard-hitting record that does not pale at all in comparison to the forefront bands of this musical niche. Let’s hope that more material will follow in the upcoming creative future of Nomura.
Listen at: https://nomuratheband.bandcamp.com/releases
