Around the time of their inception in 2001, Nonexist may have been considered a bit of a supergroup. Johan Liiva had had a recent association with Arch Enemy, Johan Reinholdz was showing promise as Andromeda’s six string wizard and Matte Modin had been beating the skins for extreme metal heavyweights such as Dark Funeral and Defleshed. Fast forward to 2018, and Reinholdz is all that remains; Liiva having been absent for three years after jumping ship in 2015, and Modin not being involved since the group’s initial split in 2004. Undeterred by the absence of these names, Reinholdz stepped into the frontman role and now leads his charges for the second time with Nonexist’s latest EP, In Praise of Death.
The five song collection draws from all of Reinholdz’s other projects, being grounded in conventional death metal, with more than a few melodic flourishes, along with some technical and progressive touches. Having stepped into the vocal booth in Liiva’s absence, Reinholdz relays a healthy mix of mid range rasps, growls, screams and snarls to good effect. He also takes on production duties, providing a balanced mix that works to the songs’ strengths. The bass could perhaps be louder, but the thick guitar tone beefs up the low end, rendering it a minor issue. The tone itself is relatively clean, but there is an inherent muddiness and rawness to it, just enough to give it a crushingly heavy effect. The drums are also pushed forward in the mix; a wise choice given that Joakim Strandberg-Nilsson’s lively and impressive playing helps carry and dictate the pace of many of the songs.
“Cancerous Disembodiment” tears out of the gates with a violent vigour that’s sure to leave your eardrums flayed, without a modicum of melody or mercy to ease the slaughter. It’s a song that hits its stride from the off, with expansive riffing and transitions between sections pulled off with ease. There is a twisted tranquillity to the mid section, but its dissonant nature only serves to further the aural disharmony. Closer “Reduced to Ash” opts for a similar approach, although has more in common with d-beat driven death metal than the blast orientated approach of the opener. The three tracks sandwiched between veer in the direction of melodeath. “A Meditation Upon Death” eases into the shift, with much of the riff work owing more to the heavier side of the style that acts like The Crown practice, but by the time the chorus rolls round, the Gothenburg influence is in full swing, complete with guest appearances from Christopher Amott and Mikael Stanne (both Reinholdz and Amott have played live with Stanne’s Dark Tranquillity). It’s a fairly good song, although the extended outro, which dips into Reinhodlz’s progressive past, is ill fitting, despite some fantastic playing.
The other melodic death numbers are more conventional in structure and fare better because of it. “Dead Black Embrace” opens with as pure a thrash riff as you could hear, ripping through four and a half minutes with plenty of memorable melodies, fluctuating tempos and relentless riff action. An acoustic coda sends it off and leads into the more straightforward “Bloody Carnal Sorcery”, a scorching audio inferno with searing melodies and excellent solos. It’s an great one two combo, and marks the high point of the EP.
There’s a lot to like about In Praise of Death. The song writing is largely strong, with some good performances complemented by a mix that puts the focus on the best aspects of the music. There are some slips here and there, and some unnecessary moments of self indulgence, but these mishaps are not enough to cause any real harm. At a mere twenty minutes in length, melodeath fans would be wise to give this a couple of listens to see if it suits their fancy. Probably not the best the genre will offer this year, but it should be a crowd pleaser all the same.
Highlights: “Dead Black Embrace”, “Bloody Carnal Sorcery”
Find out more on Nonexist here:
In Praise of Death is available on June 29th via Mighty Music.
