Vehemency
What is it in the tap water in Jyväskylä, Finland, that makes the city produce so many high quality black metal acts? In all honesty, ”Hatemagic” has grown in me to become a pinnacle moment in the country’s black metal history, and is definitely among the best releases from the late 00s.
Verge manages to sound extremely dark and menacing while still having a flavour of sadness in some corners - the wholly cleanly sung ”Anorexia Nervosa” is a clear example of that. ”Intercourse” goes into totally different grounds, leaving the mid-paced melancholic atmospheres and presenting some utterly furious and disgusting black metal in its 3-minute playing time. The most beautiful moments of Hatemagic culminate in ”Assimilation” and in its heart-wrenching lyrics (”Promised myself to Satan / Heard the mockery / of the impending fate / and took it with me”), accompanied with subtle use of synths in the background of the warm and semi-lofi black metal buzz. And what comes next - a guitar solo? Look no further if you want to hear a perfect black metal song.
It is clear that Verge has taken influences from such orthodox black metal bands as Deathspell Omega - this is most clear in the furious guitar riffs that remind me of ”Si Monumentum...” and ”Kénôse” - but Verge uses these elements only carefully, never sounding a mere copycat. The singer, Wrong, provides some really disturbing shrieks, making the lyrical side of ”Hatemagic” even better. All in all, ”Hatemagic” is close to a perfect album and should not be missed by those who are into occult and really dark black metal.
