SHYLMAGOGHNAR
SHYLMAGOGHNAR "Convergence"
By Dr. Abner Mality
Sometimes I can be downright snobbish...I first noticed SHYLMAGOGHNAR a couple of years ago, but never looked any further than their bizarre name. I thought it was silly at the time and figured they wouldn't be worth my time. Curiosity finally compelled me to look further into this one-man outfit from Holland and I must confess, I was unfair to the band. This is quite a sonic adventure and an amazing achievement considering it was all done by one guy using a home studio.
"Convergence" is really a perfect name for what SHYLMAGOGHNAR have come up with here. This record covers so many styles of music, it's hard to describe them all, but "progressive" and "atmospheric" describe the basics. I could drop the name of about 20 bands to describe the multitude of influences, but I'll spare you most of that. SHYLMAGOGHNAR is really a talented Dutchman who goes by the name Nimblkorg. EVERYTHING is fair game for this guy, from ambient electronics to piano-driven melody to raging black metal to epic prog in the vein of OPETH and AMORPHIS. Ooops, there go a couple of names. Well, these are the ones that came to mind most often listening to "Convergence".
The album starts with its longest and most epic track, "I Hear The Mountain Weep"...ambitious is not the word for this constantly shapeshifting jam that covers so much territory. Much of it is surprisingly energetic and metallic, though there's also calm moments and delicate piano melody. Also, it's an instrumental...it must be noted that half of the album is instrumental. Nimblkorg only adds vocals when he feels a song needs them.
"Follow The River" didn't hold my interest quite as much as the opener....the OPETH vibe is especially pronounced here. "Threshold", though, is an awesome burst of majestic and aggressive black metal....it really brings the hammer down and Nimblkorg's BM vocals are shredding. An excellent song! "Strata" is another fast-paced and metallic tune, but this one has more of a prog/power metal feel to it. The guitar work is top notch across the whole album and there's often a sad feel to the leads that reminds me of AMORPHIS and SENTENCED.
I could micro-analyze the rest of the lengthy album, but it ranges from the electronic-tinged instrumental "Garden of the Erased" to another mighty epic, "The Sea", which boasts some incredibly deep death growls. The album ends with the almost heartbreakingly beautiful "Becoming", which has a feeling of hope after sorrow...amazing considering there are no vocals at all.
"Convergence" is a real voyage and heavier than I thought it would be. The amount of textures that SHYLMAGOGHNAR explores here is mind-boggling. I think this guy has come up with something transformative here.