Israel is home to some of the most important religious sites on the planet. This area has great significance to Christians, Muslims and Jews, and many flock their on pilgrimage every year to visit the various holy sites where the likes of Jesus Christ supposedly once walked and committed some of their most famous acts. This is, in short, not exactly the first place you would think of when it comes to Black Metal. Yet there are plenty of great Black Metal acts to be found here, the most well known perhaps being MELECHESH from Jerusalem. NERIGLISSAR are an up and coming Atmospheric Black Metal act who hail from Upper Galilee, who formed around five years ago. They have just released their first EP, "...And the Stormwinds Weep in Glory", and I can safely say that this EP has benefited from the five year wait.

The atmospheric intro track, "The Old Grey Tower", is not particularly special, but it serves its purpose; it prepares you for the full tracks on the album. This particular track has an air of HECATE ENTHRONED about it, with whispered vocals and an ambient atmosphere. "Demonic Exaltation" dispels any notions that this might be a half decent Ambient Black Metal record. It opens with a really cool keyboard section which is dominant throughout the EP, and gives it a melodic quality that lots of Black Metal fails to deliver. The Black Metal which serves as the main part of the track is very raw, but melodic and accessible. The clean vocals work incredibly well here, acting almost like a mantra chanted over the music. Black Metal with this vocal style tied into it works incredibly well. It carries with it many of the most enticing elements of bands like the aforementioned HECATE ENTHRONED and even, to some extent, SUMMONING.

I love these bands, so this addition is incredibly welcome. The next track, "Path to Alamut", again opens with some really cool whispery vocals, and then kicks into an awesome riff. It's raw, but not to the point that it is unpalatable, meaning this should cater to the musical tastes of both the underground and the mainstream of the scene to some extent. And it has it's own distinct flavour to it; these riffs aren't (at least obviously) rehashed ideas by other bands. This music has come out fully formed and with its own distinct sound, one of the many benefits of waiting a whole five years before releasing this. The song which closes this epic extended play is "Pulsa Denura" which opts for a cleaner sounding guitar tone which works very well, especially when the ambiance that backs it kicks in. The song quickly explodes into life and picks up speed and aggression, flowing seamlessly between the rawer sound and some really cool melodic guitar licks. This is a great way to close this brilliant demo.

This band have created something that they should be proud of. It encapsulates Black Metal in its myriad forms, from the symphonic to the raw, and will hopefully act as a template for many great releases to come. Definitely check this out.