Review Summary: Nameless Creations' debut is a miracle to be sure, successfully translating their noisy deathrock sound to a full-length format.
Nameless Creations have burrowed their way into my heart surprisingly quickly for a newer outfit. Having formed just a few years ago in 2015, this Polish outfit have only put out two EPs and a live album prior to this release. Now, all three of those previous releases are incredible. And I mean really amazing stuff, everyone should check those for sure. But I’d reckon that their brand of gothic punk rock (or deathrock) is a bit too niche for most casual listeners. Still, there was always an inkling that they could take this more raucous sound and distill it into a more digestible package.
Enter Upon God’s Call, their official debut and first full-length album. Now, most newer bands I follow tend to have a very sad trajectory: they have amazing early demos and EPs, with tons of personality and energy, but the minute they release a full-album they freeze in their tracks and release something tepid. I’m not sure if it’s the prospect of a full-length record scares artists or they’re trying to be more accessible or whatever, but it happens fairly consistently. And it’s especially common with punk acts. Nameless Creations bucks that trend thankfully, by managing to make the leap into “LP-dom” without losing their trademark sound.
After the unsettling spoken word opener “Abjuration,” the 8-minute long title track “Upon God’s Call” starts the album off on a high note. A great vocal performance by band member Dorian Wiseblood, the song paints with gothic imagery both in instrumentation and the lyrics:
“No tomorrow for the wretched, we spill the blood of the others”
"No tongues left to speak holy words, all the saints remain unheard”
A bit cliché? I’d be lying to you if I said no. Overtly-bleak lyrics about religion are a tentpole of the genre; it just wouldn’t be deathrock without it, you know? But Nameless Creations pull this more downtrodden sound off incredibly well, proving their versatility as both songwriters and musicians.
The pace picks up with tracks like the amusingly-titled “Salvation in a Syringe.” While the lyrics are still characteristically-dour, the instrumental is much more in-line with their previous work. Vivien Karnal’s guitar work throughout this album is stellar, perfectly-prickly post-punk guitar work that are the perfect complement to the vox. And Greg Jabhelius’s drumming and Harry Throat’s bass work elevate these songs to stellar new heights. This combination is what makes tracks like the lively “Flesh is to Blood” and the aforementioned “Salvation in a Syringe” work so well. Couple all of this with production that lets the band breathe, and you have a gist of just how incredibly rock solid Upon God’s Call truly is.
Debuts can be tough for independent bands, that much is true. But Nameless Creation prove that there doesn’t have to be a sacrifice of sound, of power, of noise when a band evolves. Just a rebirth alone is enough.
