Nine Covens – …On The Coming of Darkness

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Being shrouded in anonymity almost necessarily requires that anyone give a shit about uncovering your identities. The strength of the surprising Opus Eponymous and elaborate costumery made Ghost‘s masquerade fun for a while, and it took the collective force of the Internet almost a year to determine that they’re probably just the dudes from Repugnant. The apparently British black metal supergroup behind …On The Coming of Darkness haven’t been uncovered, and frankly, it’s unlikely they will be. No, the sound of Nine Covens is too safe and their identity-hiding is too small a part of their aura that it’s more likely they’ll be forgotten about before they get the chance to make a second record than that a worldwide witch hunt will result in their members’ outing. There’s nothing inherently wrong with …On The Coming of Darkness. It’s just that it sounds like a bunch of songs Wodensthrone and Enslaved tossed out because they weren’t up to the quality level of their most recent albums. Granted, their most recent albums are tremendous, but modern black metal mimicry is hardly cause for celebration. Song titles like On The Ascension And The Torment of Hell Part 2: In Darkness Find The Light of Solace don’t help either. Being pretentious isn’t enough in black metal. You have to back it up with feeling and atmosphere. Clearly too amused by their own charade to have much conviction in either, Nine Covens suffers. If they reveal their identities and spend some time writing an interesting album, this is a band with all the talent necessary to churn out a masterpiece. As long as they’re busy playing games, they won’t make good on that potential.

Written by Brad Sanders
More: 2011, Albums, Black Metal, Quick.Play Reviews, Nine Covens