Verberis have never been a band that gives you an easy ride, and ‘The Apophatic Wilderness’ certainly does not change that. This is their third full-length and, while the Death Metal element that was more obvious on earlier material has been pushed further into the background, the record still has plenty of weight behind it. What has taken over is a much more pronounced dissonant Black Metal character, with the guitars doing most of the damage.
DA’s guitar work is easily the strongest part of this record. There is a lot going on without the riffs simply turning into an endless mess of random notes. The dissonant passages, strange chord changes and lead work give the songs an uneasy character, but there is enough structure underneath them to keep the whole thing from falling apart. ‘Labyrinthine Privation’ is a good example of this, constantly shifting between restrained sections and more frantic passages without losing the thread.
The guitars also become much more interesting when Verberis slow things down. There are sections where the playing becomes almost hypnotic, with the bass and drums giving the guitars room to build the atmosphere before everything eventually starts moving again. That contrast is important because if this album ran at full speed from beginning to end, the amount of dissonance would probably become exhausting.
JSM’s drumming deserves plenty of credit as well. There is obviously no shortage of blasting, but he does not simply sit behind the kit and hammer away for forty minutes. The fills and changes in rhythm help give the longer compositions some movement, particularly during the slower passages. His playing is precise without sounding overly polished, and the drums provide a solid backbone while DA gets increasingly adventurous with the guitar work.
The production is another strong point. Verberis have avoided the temptation to make everything sound clinically clean, and there is enough space between the instruments to actually hear what is happening. The bass has a useful presence rather than disappearing underneath the guitars, while the drums have enough weight to prevent the album from becoming another thin sounding dissonant Black Metal production. The use of older analogue equipment during the recording and mixing also seems to have helped give the record a slightly warmer character without taking away its harshness.
NH’s vocals fit the material well, although they are not necessarily the most distinctive element of the album. The raspy delivery stays fairly consistent throughout, sitting above the guitars rather than trying to dominate them. That works in Verberis’ favour because the instrumental work is clearly the main attraction here. The vocals become another layer within the overall sound rather than something you are constantly focusing on.
The main criticism I would have is the songwriting itself. There is clearly a lot of thought and musicianship involved, but ‘The Apophatic Wilderness’ can sometimes feel like it is taking the long way around to get where it wants to go. The four compositions stretch across more than forty minutes, with ‘Arteries Unto Ruin’ occupying almost half the second side, and there are moments where the ideas could have been brought to their destination sooner.
That does not make the album boring, but it does mean this is not something I would throw on casually in the background. There are too many changes and details buried inside the arrangements. The record demands some attention, particularly when DA starts layering those crooked guitar lines over the rhythm section. The payoff is there, but you have to give the album the time it asks for.
‘The Apophatic Wilderness’ also shows a band that has clearly moved further away from straightforward blackened Death Metal. The earlier material had more immediate aggression, whereas this album is much more concerned with atmosphere, tension and dissonance. Personally, I think that works for them, although listeners who preferred the heavier Death Metal side of Verberis may find this one less immediate.
The final two parts of ‘Arteries Unto Ruin’ are where everything comes together. The first half takes its time building the atmosphere, allowing the guitars to become increasingly strange before the second section finally lets the aggression loose. When the riffs start shifting at speed and the leads become more prominent, you get a much clearer picture of what Verberis are trying to achieve with this album.
There is plenty of technical ability here, but thankfully the record does not come across as musicians simply showing off what they can play. DA’s guitar work is complicated because the music calls for it, JSM’s drumming keeps the longer passages moving and the rhythm section gives the whole thing enough weight to avoid becoming overly cerebral.
‘The Apophatic Wilderness’ will not be everyone’s cup of tea, particularly if you want Black Metal to hit immediately and leave you with something you can hum after the first listen. Verberis are asking for more patience than that. But if you are willing to sit with it, there is a lot to uncover in these four tracks. It is a challenging record, but the musicianship and atmosphere give it enough substance to justify the time.
For me, the guitars are the main reason to keep coming back to this one. There are enough unusual riffs, leads and changes buried throughout the album to reveal something new with repeated listens, and that is ultimately what keeps ‘The Apophatic Wilderness’ from becoming just another dissonant Black Metal record lost in the crowd.
