Hæresis – Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum (Review)

This is the debut album by German post-black metallers Hæresis.

Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum contains four tracks, with a duration of 41 minutes in total. Hæresis offer up a feast of foreboding hostility, and will ably reward anyone into acts such as Akhlys, Black Birch, Der Weg Einer Freiheit, Terzij de Horde, This Gift Is a Curse, Ultha, and Wiegedood.

An aggressive assault of serrated, venomous soundscapes, Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum brings together its blackened elements into a competent stylistic whole. The heart of the Hæresis sound is one of black metal, onto which has been grafted the occasional post-metal influence, (Obscure Sphinx came to mind, but in certain places only). Inject into this a dose of nightmare atmosphere and sinister cinematic depth, and you have an album that is really strong.. It’s a contemporary black metal record more than anything, one which is driven by fiery rage and grim determination.

The songs are furious and scathing, with blistering blast beats, dark melodies, and a funeral shroud of thick atmosphere. There’s a threatening sense of menace that frequently manifests across the songs, and I like the feeling of seething malevolence that comes off the music in waves. This sits alongside an air of grandeur and majesty, one that’s sometimes quite understated, while on occasion it rises more to the fore.

The main vocals are harsh screams, performed well throughout. The singer has a strong voice, and she uses it well. Her clean singing is used infrequently, to provide an additional layer of feeling that I like a great deal, only really taking vocal primacy during the final song Eradicate Taciturnity.

Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum is a potent record. Its aggressive atmosphere is immersive and well-crafted. It’s a ferocious and intense affair, and carries with it a wealth of mood-rich extremity and blackened melodic feeling. I really enjoy Hæresis’ uncompromising vision for their art. Hæresis have impressed.

Very highly recommended.