I like deep stuff: I like reading about mythology and symbolisms, C.G. Jung, mystical traditions and so on. I also like the medieval aesthetic that is associated with esotericism - not that that would be very original since this new "occult" Goth style is really trendy today and not just on Nergal's Instagram page. But I can say that I was always attracted to "esoteric" knowledge and art since I can remember and that I do have more than superficial knowledge about related topics. So when I saw that there is an album that offers "an esoteric journey through the concepts and ideas behind the [Kabbalistic] Shem Ha Mephorash system, the 72-fold explicit name of god", as the promo material puts it, I was really excited. MEPHORASH's fourth LP "Shem Ha Mephorash" is ambitious not in its subject matter but also musically. The album is 74 minutes long with the song's length ranging from six and a half to fifteen - quite long then, especially for black metal. So did MEPHORASH create a Black Metal monument, or is the album pompous and overblown? That is the question.

The songs "Shem Ha Mephorash" are mostly slow to mid-tempo with some fast, intense peaks. They are somber and dramatic, in part it has something from ritualistic sounding bands like NIGHTBRINGER or HETROERTZEN, in part it has the exalted bombast of later BEHEMOTH. There are many atmospheric sections with theatrical vocals (squealing, gurgling blood etc.), chanting or various sound effects, and long, monumental buildups etc. The guitars and vocals are also often backed chanting and instruments, and a lot of attention was paid to the arrangements and production which is crisp without sounding too polished. The sound is huge to a point where I feel I could call MEPHORASH's music "cinematic Black Metal". There are definitely standout moments within the songs - moments that feel truly grand and exalted - and a nice flow between them as well.

The problem that I have is that the songs feel overblown or overwritten: when the momentum builds up it's cut off in the middle by some plodding atmospheric section and then the band goes straight to a new idea which may or may not be more enjoyable than what came first. I just can't help to think that some of the songs would be better if the band would have cut out some of the plodding atmospheric sections as interesting and well executed as they may be on their own. Ultimately the problem for me is that the songwriting is pretty predictable - what MEPHORASH do is not musically very deep (putting musical signifiers of "deepness" like solemn choir chants, somber piano melodies etc. together doesn't make a composition deep), it is just beautifully done. That being said there are great moments on the album: it starts off with melancholic songs ("King of Kings, Lord of Lords," "Chant of Golgotha"), gradually transitions to a more aggressive tone ("Relic of Elohim", "777: Third Woe" - both shorter songs that I quite like) and the 15 minute-long closer "Shem Ha Mephorash" feels truly climactic. And if you haven't checked out yet the single "Sanguinem" definitely do so because that song is truly spellbinding and will get you interested in the rest of the album.

I had high hopes for this album, but I failed connecting with it on an emotional level even though it has great qualities. If I had to predict I think this album will do really well and will help MEPHORASH become a household name in Black Metal circles - this album is really impressive especially considering that most of the band members are young guns. It's just not what I had personally hoped for.