Metal Hammer (UK)

NIGHTMARER

Seasoned metal pros unleash a traumatisi­ng vision

- WORDS: DOM LAWSON

Borne of hellish, psychewren­ching fever dreams, Floridian avant-death crew Nightmarer’s debut album, Cacophony Of Terror, is pitch-black and twisted on every level. Comprising former members of The Ocean, War From A Harlot’s Mouth and Success Will Write Apocalypse Across The Sky, their blending of myriad grim influences has led to a distinctiv­e sonic nastiness that few can match right now. As guitarist Simon Hawemann confirms, the album’s title was inspired by one very specific and traumatisi­ng subconscio­us horrorshow.

“I woke up to an extremely loud and piercing noise, coming from outside,” he recalls. “I got up, opened the balcony door and stepped outside. I lived on the 17th floor at the time and had a great view over the skyline. The sky was fiery orange and filled with thousands of people just falling straight from it. The shrieking noise was them collective­ly screaming at the top of their lungs. Inevitably, they started smashing into the ground, so the sound of breaking bones ripping through flesh mixed with the screams made for a true cacophony of terror. Then I actually woke up.”

A rampaging onslaught of deeply warped riffs and perverse atmospheri­cs, Nightmarer’s music provides a very fitting soundtrack to those horrifying mental images. It also deftly taps into that liberated but nihilistic strain of death metal that has enjoyed a significan­t upsurge in recent years, but without sounding in debt to anyone in particular. Above all, Cacophony Of Terror was designed to make us feel deeply uncomforta­ble. Do have nightmares, eh?

“Our musical delivery is all about tension,” Simon concludes. “Our main inspiratio­n is the dark and twisted side of the human psyche. We’re trying to create a vibe that is uncomforta­ble and eerie. Dissonant intervals automatica­lly create tension. It’s hard to escape from that as a listener. You either love it or hate it, but it will evoke a more intense reaction than tonal music by default. We call it ‘Total dissonance worship’.”

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