NORTHMAÄN
Northmaän
DEVFIRE ENTERTAINMENT
Industrial metal debutant searches for a gloom of his own
The work of one mysterious individual, Northmaän’s debut album is an intriguing cocktail of darkness. Drawing on a gothic aesthetic, industrial soundscapes and death metal, it’s as bleak and gloomy a record as you’re likely to hear this year. As of right now, though, the songs don’t quite live up to the idea. Closing track Tolerate is a case in point; one sustained main riff and a more downbeat, melodic passage taking turns isn’t enough to sustain interest for its six-and-a-halfminute run time. The Fear Factory-meets-Dimmu collision of Rage Trigger and the Ministry-gone-postpunk drive of Dying Star stand out, and the album does sound fantastic, all pounding drums, thick riffs and haunting vocals. If he can improve his compositional skills a little more, Northmaän could yet be a dark force in the metal scene.