Merrimack - Of Grace and Gravity (2024)

Unleashing one of the finest Black Metal releases of the last few years, today we have Parisian outfit Merrimack and their crushing return “Of Grace and Gravity”. As their first album in seven years, the band returns with thirst for vengeance and delivers over 40 minutes of excruciatingly brutal music that any fan of the genre will go nuts for. If you like incisive and punishing music with a perfect balance of atmosphere and swift brutality, this is the release for you.

The release kicks off with a bang with the demolishing “Sulphurean Synods”, a track that blasts off with ravaging guitars, pummeling drums, and hellish vocals. There is certain rawness to the band’s approach that is quite savage and direct. With the intensity of “Sublunar Despondency”, the band has that viciousness of 90’s Norwegian Black Metal, giving a certain Satyricon edge that works wonderfully within the band’s aggressive style.

The guitar work in this release is exemplary, with tracks like “Dead and Distant Clamors” and “Wounds that Heal” perfectly mixing aggressive tremolo picking with more melodic passages, creating a very intense and demoralizing atmosphere. Our favorite track has to be the blistering “Under the Aimless Spheres” and its brutality alongside crafty tempo changes. Just the right amount of aggression for some epic headbanging with this track.

As the band closes the release with “Embalmer’s Wine”, we are left blown away by the quality and brutality delivered by Merrimack. As one of the main Black Metal bands from France, this outfit has managed to out do themselves with “Of Grace and Gravity” and hopefully this release propels them to play more live shows and spread their sickness. This release is definitely one of the first must-have BM albums of 2024, so do not miss out.

Label: Season of Mist Underground Activists

Release: March 8th, 2024

Genre: Black Metal

Country: France