public

Adimiron – Et Liber Eris

The way we journalists discover music is weird; we’ve spoken about this a few times before. We’re constantly bombarded by new music from all sorts of sources: Facebook

6 years ago

The way we journalists discover music is weird; we’ve spoken about this a few times before. We’re constantly bombarded by new music from all sorts of sources: Facebook groups, our inboxes, our friends and, very importantly, each other. Keeping up with new (and old) releases is a communal act, a group of friends coming together around a shared passion to essentially crowdsource the insane amount of music that’s out there. This is far from a complaint; on the contrary, it’s this incredible pressure that’s applied to us that forges our friendships so tightly. Thus, it’s no wonder when we discover and rediscover music, as recommendations and links flood us from all directions. Sometimes, as a group, we perhaps then even forget the music that’s been collectively discovered, a personal repository missing the knowledge that might exist in the common one.

This gives you a good intro into Heavy Blog’s history with Adimiron. In 2015, Kyle Gaddo told you to listen to the band; citing its equal influences from Gojira, Tool and, to an extent, the nu-metal scene, Kyle found much to love about the groovy and evocative metal that Adimiron produced on Timelapse. And rightfully; that album is damn good. Nearly two years later, Noyan rediscovered the band via a related link and shared his “new found” passion with the rest of us. This conviction led me to listen to them and I instantly fell in love; to the influences cited above I could add Opeth, especially during the Blackwater Park Ghost Reveries period, which is my favorite. This mix of modern influences and a flawless execution is what initially drew me to the band, once my social circles had brought my attention to them, twice.

And now we stand at the verge of a new release. Releasing in a week, Et Liber Eris is another step in Adimiron’s mission to solidify themselves as one of the best examples of what modern, progressive death metal can achieve today. Like Timelapse, it mixes these elements into a whole that might not exactly contain the next avant-garde formula to shatter the genre but definitely handles all the disparate elements of it with grace and aplomb. The result, when you add in the ridiculously accomplished production, is a joyous release for any fans of intelligent and moving metal. Take the second track, “Zero-Sum Game” as an example. It opens simply enough, with a catchy main riffs and fully fleshed out growls, a staple of the genre.

The usage of these growls, drawn out, dominant, instantly calls to mind the Gojira reference above. The way they sit above the guitars, what the guitars themselve are doing, all speak of the influence of that seminal band. But later on, after the aggressive middle passage of the track (another Gojira trademark, by the way), the bass-focused passages of the outro remind us of Tool. The thick presence of the bass as it propels the ending to its conclusion is a trick of the trade that’s become a household name since Tool first popularized it and it’s expertly used here. However, the discordant guitar above it is all Opeth. The eerie sensation created by these elements, the quiet after the storm element, speak of Akerfeldt’s style and composition.

All of this is not to say that Adimiron don’t have anything new to add or that they send like a tired remake. Instead, what they bring to the table is not necessarily new structural approaches but a fire and determination to their execution that is simply irresistible. Sure, you’ll recognize and be able to catalog these musical elements; but you’ll do so while headbanging or singing your throat out at the same time. Add to this a distinct aesthetic transmitted via the album name and cover art (the Latin title means “and that you are free”, half of the saying “fac sapias et liber eris”, which translates to “make sure that you are wise and that you are free”. Coupled with the intriguing choice for cover art, this sentence can mean many things) and you have yourself a winner.

It’s about the verve and force with which Adimiron do what they do that elevates it above the crop. This love of their music, and their understanding of why it works which results from it, allows Adimiron to miss very few beats. They simply know what you as a listener want to hear because they themselves love this music just as much as you do. This is the secret to why we enjoy them and the secret to why they’re important: they remind us of all that’s good and convincing about modern metal’s sound and why we care so much for it.

Et Liber Eris sees release on November 3rd. You can head on over to the band’s PledgeMusic page to pre-order it.

Eden Kupermintz

Published 6 years ago