Averse Sefira
Homecoming's March
[Arrogare]


Trust it was a dark day when this CD made its way to my hands. Coming from the black metal hotbed of Texas--seriously, just look at Absu, Imprecation and Thornspawn--is Austin's cape-cloaked brethren of blasphemy, Averse Sefira. Prior to this, the band released the Blasphomet Sin Abset demo of 1997 and a more recent promo from this year that I unfortunately didn't know about until recently.

Like many of this year's fine black metal releases, Homecoming's March is comprised of seven songs coming to an average of ten minutes each, though some are notably shorter. First of all, the packaging is beyond stunning, especially since this is essentiallly an independent release. The cover art is awesome, to say the least--very dark and foreboding. The booklet has absolutely no wasted space, which must be applauded. Too many bands simply have a plain white background and simple lyrical layout. These guys went to the hilt with the layout for this.

And the songs, oh, the songs! I thought the demo was good, but this truly superior. The instrumentation is clear and precise; although the band calls upon the services of a drum machine, they've been recording music long enough to become knowledgeable in its usefulness. The interludes the band refers to affectionately as "aversions" have become one with the songs, which is what extends the time on most of them. These interludes are composed by a newer 'shadow member', Lady of the Evening Faces, and add a certain atmosphere to the compositions without detracting from the intensity. "Above the Firmaments of Wrath" features very sparsely-used clean vocals and overall is one of the best, most brutal tracks on the album. "Hymns to the Scourge of Heaven", "Pax Dei" and the ripping title ditty are all stand-out pieces, but the entire album is remarkable. They even included a bonus track for fans of the Blasphomet Sin Abset demo!

If you yearn for the days of blasting, relentless black metal, yearn no more. Averse Sefira has arrived to lead us into temptation.


© 2000 goden