Purest
Renascence

February 2009
Released: 2008, Abyss Records
Rating: 3.0/5
Reviewer: Bruce Sanchez

RENASCENCE is the 2008 debut of Purest, a group of German traditional black metalers.



The intro—the first two minutes of the album are drawn out for far too long. The rhythm becomes very tedious and drones on for no in a futile attempt to create an epic sense of atmosphere. Once the album really kicks in, what jumps out the most is that there’s really no low-end. All the notes are floating around and there’s nothing grounding them except for the bass drum. The slower, harmonious bits are nice, but they go away too quickly as if the band members are afraid they’re going to lose credibility or something. So the album has a spastic feel to it at times. Yet, there are lots of great grind moments, and the tempo shifts really inject the album with momentum that help power it through until the end.



The 10 minute final track is an epic that runs a huge spectrum and sums up the best parts of the album. Raw, heavy, melodic, and ambient. It’s the highlight of the album, and a nice closer.