Unmensch is a one-man Belgian black metal band and this is his debut album.
Scorn contains 49 minutes of old-school black metal that almost sounds like it could have come straight out of the second wave in the 90s.
The artist behind Unmensch plays his music fast and wrathful, although not exclusively; different paces are explored here and there to add a bit of variety to the hateful attack. The songs rage and tear through the playing time, but aren’t without restraint where needed. They’re well-written and performed, and the music betrays an obvious love and knowledge of the source material.
I like the way that melody is used. It’s prominent enough to add interest and colour, but doesn’t take over or descend into the shiny realms of overly melodic black metal. No, shiny this is not. Rather, these songs are cold and dark, writhing with frosted misanthropy and venomous spite. Keyboards add further layers to the music in places, working in concert with the melodic side of the songs quite well. They’re mostly quite subtly and tastefully done, and like the melodies employed do not overstep their mark.
Misanthropic and nasty, Scorn gets its job done with furious zeal. This album is a solid, enjoyable way to revisit old-school black metal highlights.
A recommended listen.
Wonderbox Metal 