Black is the new black. The darkness seeps and seethes through modern metal, and I welcome it. Intrigued by bands adept at genre-bending, they must be sought. In my experience, bands named after birds are largely instrumental—like Pelican or Red Sparowes—but Cormorant is latest on my list, and barely sound like either of those. They originally struck me as similar to Seattle’s Lesbian, but truly live in their own atmosphere.
Still, you gotta check these dudes out, too.
Cormorant know when to coolly glide and when to aggressively dive, with a calculated, yet organic assault. Every turn makes sense, no move is wasted. Across the first six minutes of “The First Man”, I came to expect heavy folk melodies with a lashed vocal rasp throughout. The lyrics of bassist Arthur von Nagel are equally poignant and purposeful, there referencing Indigenous Australians. However, the song that really sold me followed: “Funambulist”. The word translates from French to mean ‘tightrope walker’, which the band does wholly, deftly navigating heavenly airs and inky depths.
So… nothing like this. But whatever, I like it.
Cormorant not only invoke the blackest aspects of Norway’s famous musical export, but also bear similarities to Mastodon. Like how everyone sings at some point on the album, or when ”Confusion of Tongues” mixes it up with that special Southern goodness, though there’s nary a tongue to be found—try The Hunter for “Black Tongue” instead. Oh, were you aware Norwegians hunt and consume at least 10,000 cormorants per year? Well, now we know, and knowing is half the battle.
The attack continues through “Junta”, which is the second track to feature what I believe are real-life samples; “The First Man” does as well. If anyone can confirm details, please enlighten me [replied Nagel himself: "it's a rant by then-Guinean president/dictator Moise Camara, who presided over the slaughter in the soccer stadium in Conakry a couple years back" ~Ed.]. They are still relentlessly engaging regardless. For those who know Cormorant‘s background, Nagel had this to say about the content:
“Whereas Metazoa focused on the natural world, Dwellings broaches human structures: societal, linguistic, familial, and architectural. The word ‘dwellings’ encapsulated all those ideas, and inspired dreamlike imagery of stone huts carved into cliffsides. I feel the word captures a wide swathe of human motivations, particularly man’s need for home and family, a major lyrical theme on this album. The lyrics themselves range in style from poetic and abstract to journalistic, which was a nice change of pace for us. While in the past we tended toward mythological and historical subjects, on Dwellings we often attack more contemporary topics in a very stark and direct manner.”
Moreover, these dudes know how to swing. The time signatures feel the folkiest, likely lifted from Nagel’s upbringing and guitarist Nick Cohon’s stint in “old-time” (do they mean ‘traditional’?) country band The Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers. I can’t dredge up any info on those guys, so once again to those with info, feel free to drop that knowledge.
In lieu of real photos, please enjoy this Yellow-bellied Sapsucker with a banjo.
This is getting silly now, and it feels strange with a band this sincere. So I’ll conclude with something even sillier: this unique, supra-talented group has recorded one of the finest albums of 2011, and yet are without label support. Hopefully someone will realize that Cormorant is a great catch. West Coast US people should dig it—what with the like-minded Agalloch just a touch north—and a word to wise Norwegians: make these guys among your 10,000 consumed. You all love Enslaved, right?
01. The First Man
02. Funambulist
03. Confusion of Tongues
04. Junta
05. The Purest Land
06. A Howling Dust
07. Unearthly Dreamings
~MetalMattLongo
Note: This post will be updated with album art, once complete. Hot damn, this was worth the wait! Click here for great deals on pre-order packages.
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