Band:	LVME
Album:	Of Sinful Nature
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	February 2024

01. The Venomous Fire
02. Strix Rêverie
03. Without Light Nor Guide
04. Into Ashen Stone
05. Obenaus Und Nirgends An!

LVME are shrouded in mystery and shrouded in sin, and their sinister dissonant black metal casts a shroud of darkness upon anyone brave enough to listen to it.

The group, who find themselves on the NoEvDia label, are reportedly an international ensemble, albeit one that is anonymous (although the crediting of Álvaro Rodriguez as composer on Spotify might unintentionally reveal the identity of one member). The potential involvement of members from Teitanblood has been rumoured, but in contrast to the murky, discordant blackened death produced by those Spaniards, Of Sinful Nature embraces ominous atmosphere amidst its dissonant blackened malevolence.

Of Sinful Nature follows closely in the footsteps of 2019’s debut The Blazing Iniquity, right down to the very similar runtimes, but there is a greater degree of clarity to the production here (which the album’s promotional description states was recorded and mastered using analogue), and it’s one that offers dynamic depth to the compositions featured here. This is a black metal album, and naturally features its fair share of blasts, vicious tremolo riffs and howling shrieks, but it has significant stretches that are more reserved, allowing listeners to revel in the bleak dissonance without being sonically assaulted.

“The Venomous Fire” is a good opener in so much that it deftly shows off this range; there is plenty of satisfying alternation between full-pelt intensity, slightly more measured darkness in which the drums pull back a bit, and quieter atmospherics. The latter occurs in particularly notable fashion in the final couple of minutes, as LVME take their foot off the gas a bit and allow some tremolo layers and shimmering textures to breathe, all of which is underpinned by fluid and inventive drumming. This balance of intensities across Of Sinful Nature, along with the subtle hints of melody in parts (such as a bright tremolo lead guitar riff partway into “Strix Rêverie”, or some guitar leads featured during “Without Light Nor Guide"), really aligns with what I enjoy in dissonant black metal.

When it comes to dissonant black metal, it’s impossible to discount the influence of bands such as Deathspell Omega and Blut Aus Nord, and anyone who has enjoyed recent output from the former is likely to find something to like in Of Sinful Nature; in terms of intensity, this release is closer to The Long Defeat than the more suffocating Disharmonium albums. There’s also a slight spiritual or ritualistic feel to it; “Without Light Nor Guide” opens with a brief snippet of monastic singing against a backdrop of haunting ambience, and subsequent tom-heavy drumming that is used recurringly across the song further builds on this vibe, a vibe that is explored again during closing track “Obenaus Und Nirgends An!”

While LVME’s take on dissonant black metal is fairly conventional and relatively accessible for the style, Of Sinful Nature is a highly accomplished effort in the subgenre, one that successfully exploits a lot of the strengths of this sound.