When I first saw the band's name I was like "What the fuck?", but their music has definitely nothing to do with this expression. The word "shemhamphorash" is an epithet for a 216-letter name of a God derived by medieval kabbalists from the Book of Exodus, by reading the letters of three verses in a specific order (Shem ha-Mephorash. The name is composed of 72 groups of three letters, each of these triplets being the name of an angel or intelligence.

This Spanish trio is active since 1996, but this is only their sophomore full-length effort and their first one through Indar/Erzebet. Featuring members from other Spanish acts like LUX DIVINA and FOSCOR, SHEMHAMPHORASH seem to be dynamically entering the Black Metal scene with "Sulphur", an album that may become a ticket for greater things.

"Sulphur" is a fine sample of raw Black Metal that knows how to combine speed with mid tempo "rotten" parts, hellish vocals and nice guitar melodies. There are moments where these Spanish maniacs reminded me of old SATYRICON and a bit of CROSS DENIED dare I say. These guys are of course not the next big thing in the Black Metal scene or something that will erase every other BM release out there, but it is surely a fine work by a "new" (it's only their second official release) band that will be a nice buying option for people who just love the underground.

The sound is also raw, as the music, although I guess a slightly clearer and heavier production would fit their music better. So, SHEMHAMPHORASH manage to stay away from the pit of mediocrity. Their mission now is not only to avoid falling in, but to try even harder in the future.
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