Band: Nefertum
Title: Revered Lames
Label: UK Division Records / Alkemist Fanatix
Distribution: Plastic Head Distribution
Release date: June 13th 2010
Review: CD

For the recording of Revered Lames, the Italian band Nefertum, consisting of Innos (v), Tjhell (b), Uruk-Hai (g), Max (k), Geny (g) and Maul (d), entered the Omnia Malis and 16th Cellar Studio during Winter 2007-2008 with mix / mastering-guru Stefano Morabito, current or former member of e.g. Eyeconoclast, Hour Of Penance, Rust Of Reason or Chthonian Nemeton, and known for his assistance behind the desk for bands as Theatres Des Vampires or Murder Therapy.
The album, which lasts for about forty one minutes (eight titles), brings a rhythmic, powerful and energetic form of Black Metal with lots of variation and a massive sound. And as from the very first song on, the title track, Nefertum’s main influence is oh so clear: Dimmu Borgir! The tempo-changes, the orchestral approach, neo-gothic bombast, fast and fierce parts versus symphonic ones, and so on, and so on, and so on. Sometimes the band seems to copy their Norwegian colleagues shamelessly, yet luckily the average quality is all right. The rhythmic tracks might seem predictable – at least in case you’re trusted with Dimmu Borgir’s recordings, of course – the melodic and / or up-tempo guitar lines and solos, the pounding rhythm section, the deep screams, the atmospheric keyboards and piano, the acoustic intermezzos etc, the whole completely lacks of an own identity. Yet in spite of all this, the average quality is very acceptable. Many Dimmu Borgir-clones (like Asgaroth or Mirzadeh) bore the shit out of me, yet this Italian formation succeeds to convince (almost) whole the time – and I do mean from the beginning to the very end.
Nice artwork too, by the way!

87/100

Ivan Tibos.