This is the debut album from US one-man black metal band Theophonos.
Rising from the ashes of Serpent Column, the music of Theophonos is a nightmarish mixture of twisted black metal and abrasive hardcore fury.
Across 30 jagged, slithering minutes, Nightmare Visions uncurls with harsh intensity. This is avant-garde black metal by way of dark hardcore, with elements of progressive and post-metal included for extra bite. It’s a dissonant and technical beast that’s likely near-impenetrable for non-adherents of esoteric complexity. If you’re a connoisseur though, Nightmare Visions is an exquisite and rare treat. Think aspects of bands like Converge and Zao if they were melted down screaming to begin a potent new unlife as a blackened avatar for the End Times.
The artist behind Theophonos has crafted a diverse journey for the listener to embark upon. Each track has its own malignant life, its own part of the tale to tell. It’s a constantly shifting narrative of layered brutality and scathing multifaceted chaos. The music is dynamic and imbued with a dark energy. It claws and tears its way across its duration while also effortlessly building grim atmosphere from its harrowing, unforgiving darkness.
Nightmare Visions offers an expressive and rewarding experience. It will smash in your skull with its violent nature, but if you are able to survive and then look beyond the blunt force trauma you have suffered, then it has labyrinthine depths that can be explored again and again and again.
Very highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 