Album of the Week 04-2024: NMK – Ravenous Spectre
Out of all the Peruvian bands I have dug into over the past few weeks, NMK is probably the one with potentially the biggest international appeal. And it’s not for the reason you might be thinking of. Sure, the lyrics on the band’s debut album ‘Ravenous Spectre‘ are in English, but what is even more important is that ‘Ravenous Spectre’ is a contemporary international metal production that would not sound out of place among some of the popular Scandinavian productions that are doing well in the international metal scene these days. Combined with the engaging songwriting, that makes for a winner of an album.
Compositionally, ‘Ravenous Spectre’ is not a million miles away from modern melodic death metal Scandinavian style. The riff work would be a great fit for the current generation of At The Gates-inspired metal bands. However, the song structures are ever so slightly more adventurous, at times bringing Nevermore to mind, and the idiosyncratic vocals of Nathalie Markoch give NMK a character of its own. She does some rather aggressive growls, but the majority of her vocals consists of cleans that occasionally bring Epica’s Simone Simons at her least operatic to mind, though far more powerful and expressive than Simons ever was.
The atmosphere on ‘Ravenous Spectre’ is reminiscent of a somewhat mechanical dystopia, very convincingly portrayed by the super tight riffing and occasional productional choices that enhance said atmosphere. On the other hand, there are plenty of more open passages that leave room for Markoch to paint a more emotional picture of what is going on in the lyrics, without ever getting at odds with the denser riffs. I also really like that the bass is actually an audible part of the production. Luis Medina’s right hand technique makes sure that not just the bottom-end profits from his presence; there’s a nice top-end that makes the riffs somehow sound brighter as well.
‘Ravenous Spectre’ is best experienced in one sitting, but there still are some clear highlights on the album. The title track is probably my personal favorite, in part because it’s the most progressive track on the album, but also because it contains a few awesomely haunting vocal arrangements by Markoch. ‘Lack of Judgment’ was rightfully chosen as the single and video, as it represents the album’s overall sound in a relatively concise package – I also love that twin riff in the middle. However, the powerful opener ‘Outrage’, the pulsating ‘Condemned to Existence’ or the surprisingly accessible ‘Let Them Come’ could have served a similar purpose.
Sometimes I listen to a melodic death metal band and think: these riffs are awesome, I just wish they were on an album with clean vocals. NMK gives you just that on ‘Ravenous Spectre’, with a rather adventurous approach to songwriting to boot. The melodic elements are just familiar enough that they are likely to appeal to fans of the Scandinavian melodeath scene, but also just different enough to sound completely fresh, and Markoch’s voice is a big part of that. NMK recently announced their comeback. If what comes out of that is anywhere near as good as ‘Ravenous Spectre’, we are in for a treat.
Recommended tracks: ‘Ravenous Spectre’, ‘Lack of Judgment’, ‘Condemned to Existence’
Kevy Metal 