Nowen - Essence of Fear (2012)

Nowen's 2010 debut Nothing But Hate was a decent, rare hybrid of death and thrash that unfortunately did not rise to the radars of so many who might have enjoyed it. But the Finns have returned for another go at that elusive recognition, this time with a firmer grasp on compositional structure and a more methodical, muscular array of production values that might help their appeal towards the younger, wider audience. Where the first album placed its focus on a brighter, thrashing set of guitar progressions, Essence of Fear almost serves as a treatise on what might have happened had the Floridian legends Death mutated into some hybrid of Spiritual Healing and thicker toned melodic Swedes like Arch Enemy, Hypocrisy, Unleashed and Amon Amarth. A peculiar way to describe this, and perhaps not always on the mark, but then, these guys are one of those unique if not innovative acts that do not so easily fall in step with any particular categorization.

This is reflected in the broad, yet consistent dynamic range of the album. The band will alternate between double-bass driven old school tremolo death metal riffs highly reminiscent of albums like Leprosy or Spiritual Healing ("The Egotist", "The Honor"), and swaggering melodic epics like "Sacrifice for Nothing" which would not be out of place on Twilight of the Thunder Gods (though it's not THAT catchy). They also rip into a threw propulsive thrashers like "Deadly Force" and "Path of Destruction" that resemble a hypothetical jam session between modern Destruction and the Angela fronted Arch Enemy material. All of this is performed with an incredible level of taut precision, and the tones here are unanimously strong, whether it's the steady cement drumming, the loud and curvy bass or the punchy, spurious guitars. I would not call the band excessively indulgent or flashy by any means, their prowess is determined wholly by their ability to gel as a unit, a symbiosis that is nearly mechanical in its execution.

Unfortunately, if there's one component here I don't love, it would be the vocals. Not that they aren't fitting for the style, or lacking some variety themselves, but the harsher midpoint betwixt the rasp and guttural just isn't my thing. In places I was reminded of a male Angela Gossow with a dash of Chuck Schuldiner. In Lappis' defense he also churns out some lower gutturals, but then even these feel rather bland. The richness of the guitars and rhythm section might be far better paired with a style that has more character to it. In the mix, these vocals are loud and center, but they have no real capacity to snatch attention away from the guitars. That said, they're not a major negative here, I just had the pervasive feeling that there was enormous room in which they might improve. In general, Essence of Fear is slightly tastier than Nothing But Hate. I think I liked the energy and momentum of that album more than this, but I can't deny that the power of the riff set here is more enduring. Anyway, it will be interesting to see if a band who so carefully bounces between modern thrash, old school late 80s death and melodeath can find its audience.

Verdict: Win [7.25/10]

http://www.myspace.com/nowenband

Nowen - Nothing But Hate (2010)

Nowen are a Finnish four-piece performing a hybrid of thrash and death metal that you simply don't hear so often these days, with a very boxy low end tone to the guitars, often thrusting forward with great momentum, and a sense for the melody that we're accustomed to through a lot of the late 90s, 00s Scandinavian death metal. Nothing But Hate is their debut, though they put out an EP five years ago known as Where Hell Begins. Some of the songs here are quite good, but there are others that I couldn't build much of an attraction for, as they lacked some of the same tightly wound riffing.

The intro is a battering death metal piece with some nice, brooding chord breaks and brief flashes of leadwork, while the first proper track with vocals is "The Sick Weakness", a forward thrusting melodic track with some rather forgettable hooks. The riff in "Dead Meat" reminds me a hell of a lot of "Land of Tears" by Pestilence, the short and muffled notes have that same feeling, but as I absolutely loved that song, this doesn't rub me the wrong way. There are also some fine, expressive chords that drift through the bridge which add a layer of melody without any cheapness. "Fragile" is a high paced melodic thrasher once its opening cleans depart, with a style somewhere between Master of Puppets and Artillery's earlier years. Of the remainder of Nothing But Hate, I'd have to say I enjoyed the pumping "Bleed, Suffer and Die" or the more melodic bend on Slayer-like abandon in "After the Suicide". The leads in "From Time to Eternity" are also decent.

This album is not necessarily anything to rush out and grab, or write home about, but there's a vibrant flair to the writing which can serve in short bursts, and the band manages to process a wide array of influences without sounding exactly like any one (certain riffs excepted). There are 4-5 tracks here which are genuinely notable, fast excursions into excitement, but I found myself willing to skip the rest. Still, it's a solid enough footing that, if expanded upon with slightly better melodies, more interesting leads on the whole, and perhaps more entertaining, powerful vocals than the gruff standards of Nothing But Hate, could develop into one of the stronger Finnish thrash acts we've had in some time.

Highlights: Dead Meat, Bleed, Suffer and Die, After the Suicide

Verdict: Win [7/10]

http://www.myspace.com/nowenband