SINMARA - Aphotic Womb

The Icelandic black metal scene has been on the rise lately with new bands forming and releasing material and established bands spreading their message further. One of those bands is Sinmara, who formed in 2008 under the name Chao, but changed it last year. Their fittingly named debut album, Aphotic Womb, is about to see the light of day.

The album opens up with an instrumental song that draws the listener deep into the womb. It takes the listener on a nightmare-ish journey where madness and chaos prevail. The pummelling drums along with roaring riffs and Ólafur's growling vocals create a sickening and asphyxiating atmosphere that batters the senses as one is dragged deeper into the terrifying void, which seemingly has no way out.

Aphotic Womb offers a decent variety of the band's work, with the first half consisting of material written during Chao days and the latter one representing more current work. One can hear, if listened closely, how the band has developed as the album progresses, with the songwriting becoming a tad more complex and more experimental, resulting in more hypnotizing and eerie sound, compared to the band's earlier straight-forward brew of black metal.

It's apparent that the members of Sinmara have had time to plan and create their first offering and they have used their time well. Aphotic Womb offers everything that a black metal album should offer and is a great addition to Icelandic black metal releases, and black metal in general. This is certainly not a band to be missed out on! [Terratur Possessions]
- Kristján Fenrir

Our saviour over at Andfari is streaming Aphotic Womb in its entirety HERE (scroll down a bit for the player to appear).

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