Norilsk – Weepers of The Land (2018) (Hypnotic Dirge)
For fans of Morgion, Yob, Hooded Menace, High On Fire
Release Date: October 12, 2018
Label: Hypnotic Dirge
Release Type: Mini-album
Genre: Death-Doom Metal
HypnoticDirgerecords.com | Norilskdoom.com | Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | iTunes
“The band relies on an icy death-doom that subtly adds touches of sludge.” – Metal Injection
“Whether you like your doom depressing, relaxing, or both, Weepers of the Land is ready to serve.” – The Metal Crypt
“Hardcore doom fans may like Norilsk’s latest because it is molded with an eye to old-school doom records; seldom does the album go past a glacial pace, with even the stylistic flourishes never distracting the duo’s strong suit.” – The Sludgelord
“This is music for the haunted place, the celebration of nature, in all its contemporary insecurity and all its past destructive beauty.” – Echoes and Dust
“Yes, the glaciers are melting, and the temperatures are soaring, but deep in the landlocked barren lands Norilsk have managed to carve out a sonic beauty that reveals its subtle nuances when the listeners are drawn in.” – ItDjents
“Remember when I mentioned how Canadian winters never seem to end? That’s what this sounds like. You’ve just realized you’re socked into another deep freeze… You look up at the blotted sky and waver at the tremendous wintry grip displayed before you. Winter is harsh, unforgiving and indifferent to anything you might know, want or care about yet also displays a raw beauty for those willing to venture it. Norilsk understands and Norilsk delivers.” – Doom-Metal.com
“Le passage des glaciers is a well-crafted and thoughtfully composed doom and death metal record. The band have further refined their sound in a way that feels effortless and honest, all while hinting at future possibilities.” – Exclaim! (Review 2017 Le passage des glaciers)
“Canadian duo Norilsk are one of plenty healthy and upcoming formations out of Quebec, creating sordid musical landscapes that manifest towering grooves, epic melodies and desolate, sludgy passages in the space between.” – Extreme Metal Voyager
“Norilsk’s debut has exactly what it takes to land this band a spot in any doom metal fan’s list of bands to look out for.” – Heavy Blog is Heavy (Review 2015 – The Idea of North)
“It’s one thing to write good music; it’s a whole other thing to invent a new language, a new aesthetic, where song writing, atmosphere and individuality coalesce and give birth to this strange new kid on the block.” – Chronicles of Chaos
Track Listing:
1. No Sacred Ground (7:51)
2. The Way (3:33)
3. Toute la noirceur du monde (5:24)
4. Tomber 7 fois (5:04) *
5. Weepers of the Land (10:22)
*Exclusive to the CD version*
Album Length: 32:15
Album Credits:
– Nic M – Vocals, bass, guitars
– Nick R – Drums, backing vocals
– Tom Hansen – Guitars (Live)
– Matt MacIvor – Guitars (Live)
– All lyrics by Nic M except “Toute la noirceur du monde” by Ben Forte, and “Weepers of the Land” by Joshua Cayer and Nic M
– Guitar solos on “Toute la noirceur du monde”, “Tomber 7 fois”, and “Weepers of the Land” by Mort Morion
– Guest Vocals on “No Sacred Ground” by Damian Smith
– Guest Vocals on “Weepers of the Land” by Joshua Cayer “Tomber 7 fois” originally written and composed by Mylene Farmer
– Recorded by Wolf Lake Studios, QC by Mike Bond
– Mixed and mastered by Mike Bond at The Bond Cave
– Artwork: William Blair Bruce (Canadian; 1859 – 1906) The Phantom Hunter – 1888 Oil on Canvas – Art Gallery of Hamilton: Bruce Memorial; 1914.
– Music is Canadian Content (MAPL)
Named after Siberia’s northernmost city, home of a famous heavy metal smelting complex, Norilsk is a doom-death band from Gatineau/Ottawa, Canada. Characterized by slow and crushing riffs, death growls, icy melodies and atmospheric arrangements, its music draws inspiration from the 1990’s doom-death scene, while incorporating a heavy dose of eclectic and contemporary influences.
Norilsk consists of two core band members, Nic Miquelon and Nick Richer, along with live collaborators Tom Hansen and Matt MacIvor. Since its beginnings, it shared the stage with a number of bands, including Yob, High on Fire, Monolord, Weedeater, Tombs, Uada, Grim Reaper, Algoma, Altars of Grief, Nachtterror, Longhouse, Tunguska Mammoth, and much more.
After self-releasing an introductory EP, Japetus, in 2014, the band released their first full length album The Idea of North in 2015 on Hypnotic Dirge Records (CD) and Dwyer Records (cassette). The album received a lot of attention from around the world, especially from the sludge and doom-death community, leading Norilsk to release it on vinyl the following year on War on Music Records and Sunmask Records. In the Fall of 2016, the band toured over 8,000 km across Canada in support of The Idea of North, and played festivals such as Black Mourning Light Festival (Edmonton) and Earslaughter Festival (Montréal). In this period, it also took part in several compilations and recorded an exclusive song for a metal tribute album to Mylène Farmer, on GS Productions (Russia).
In 2017, Norilsk presented a new full length album, Le passage des glaciers, again via Hypnotic Dirge Records. Consistently turned towards the horizon, this opus expanded considerably the Norilsk sound and themes, carrying the party a few miles further into the distance.
One year later, on October 12, 2018, the band released a brand new offering; an omen that autumn will be tuned down to doom and the bitter cold. Weepers of the Land is the follow up mini-album to last year’s full length Le passage des glaciers, presenting a more abrasive and visceral Norilsk weaving stories of heritage, loss, and displacement through dynamic and atmospheric blackened death-doom metal. Weepers of the Land will be Norilsk’s third installment on Hypnotic Dirge Records.
Vocalist/bassist Nic M. comments:
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