MIASMES is a Black Metal band, hailing from France, and formed very recently, in 2021. "Vermines" is their debut EP, and contains five songs. "Apostasie" is the first. From the opening tones, it's pretty evident that this is old school, FWONM madness...a heavy riff presence, screamed vocals, and machine gun drumming. The production is also very heavy and not too clear. "Pestilence" has a similar sound. Although the riffs don't take over the sound as they do in a lot of Black Metal, they still have a strong presence.

"Desolation" features a slower groove, with a clearer and more discernable riff. The bass guitar can be heard in little snippets, but as with a lot of Black Metal, it's pretty buried in the mix. "Furie" is a quicker song with fast-picked rhythm guitars and bass making its own path. Although the sound is harrowing, the music isn't anything overly original. Indeed, the sound here is pretty boring and unimaginative. The title track closes the album, and it's unfortunately more of the same. The drummer shows some skills keeping up with the blistering pace, but beyond that, this is your father's Black Metal.

The genre boundaries in Black Metal can either be very restrictive (see the FWOBM) or quite free and open, if you dare to break away from the moldy formulas of the past. Unfortunately, this band does not create their own path, but rather reproduces the same sound that tens of thousands of other bands before them have also created. For that reason, I do not recommend the album.