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HERUVIM “Mercator”
HERUVIM “Mercator”
By Dr. Abner Mality
Directly from the Ukrainian warzone comes HERUVIM with their burly, classically inclined death metal. I need to give these guys major props just for getting a record out. Their hometown of Odessa has been getting bombed on a regular basis and young men are liable to be drafted to the killing zones of the frontlines. HERUVIM was forged in such a crucible; for them, war is real, not a video game like it is for most “war metal” bands.
“Mercator” is an album of very short duration, which I think hurts it some, but the sound and performances are excellent. These three gents are heavily influenced by the glory days of death metal, but they do take pains to have some diversity in their attack. I thought I was going to get a BOLT THROWER clone and while first track “Mysterium Tremendum” does indeed have the tank-like trudge of the Brits, HERUVIM mix things up elsewhere. Even this first track has time for an atmospheric interlude that’s heavy on the keys before returning to its crushing lurch.
The album has got a great clean sound...but not TOO clean. I like the echoing sound of Nefarious’ guttural vocals: it fits the music perfectly. Don’t get too used to the BOLT THROWER sound of the first track, as “Nulla Res” has more of a PESTILENCE feel to it. “Gnosis” starts with super morbid tones in classic DEATH more that made my toes curl. “Arammu” has a neat mid-paced lurch that’s more like “Consuming Impulse” PESTILENCE while the title track has a kind of twisting feel that brings MORBID ANGEL to mind, complete with some very cool melodic guitar tones. The album wrap up “Lacrimae Rerum” begins almost in melo-death fashion before bringing the hammer down for more serious crunch. The ending chords on this one are again more melodic than one might have thought HERUVIM capable of.
Not a wheel-reinventer here, but neither is this boilerplate death metal. Good musicianship, good production and most importantly good songs show that Ukraine has plenty of fight left.
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