Nemorous’ debut full-length has been a long time coming, and that anticipation has been built off both the success of their 2021 EP and legacy from Wodensthrone, which many of their members played in prior to its 2016 disbandment. Where Wodensthrone had a noticeable aggressive and pagan slant, Nemorous showcased even more of an atmospheric slant and that has been expanded significantly. What Remains When Hope Has Failed brings some lineup changes with it, with vocalist Nick Craggs and guitarist Rob Hindmarsh taking over from departed guitarist/vocalist Chris Walsh, but the sweeping melodies and somber atmosphere from the EP have been taken to absolutely stunning levels.
If you missed the band’s prior release and are coming in from either of Wodensthrone’s albums, you’ll notice some similarities and significant differences to what Nemorous has put together. Nemorous certainly has some bite, especially when they reach their peaks and some of the jagged guitar and bass work cuts through the layers of somber, entrancing melodies. But there are just as many calm, reflective, and genuinely beautiful moments within What Remains When Hope Has Failed that give it a different overall feel and flow. The guitars and keyboards do a great job of building up methodically over time, so that even when opener “The Wyrm of the World’s End” and the closing track start off with very soft, minimalist instrumentation by the time they’ve reached their peaks the sound is absolutely immense and powerful. Stylistically it comes closer to Fen or Agalloch but Nemorous retains elements that differentiate them from either of those bands. Each of the songs establishes their own identity through standout passages, whether it’s the more aggressive and desolate slant of “This Rotten Bough”, the more varied rhythms and slightly brighter slant of “Sky Avalanche”, or the mesmerizing leads on “Quiescence”. It’s clear that the time between the EP and What Remains When Hope Has Failed has been spent further refining the way the band moves between these softer moments and crushing peaks, and no matter how they get there the songs keep you engaged from beginning to end.
Nick Craggs fits Nemorous’ sound perfectly, as his raspy scream cuts through the recording and gives the material that edge you would still expect from anything black metal related. But this isn’t the only vocal style that What Remains When Hope Has Failed has to offer, as “This Rotten Bough” brings in much lower growls as well as some spoken word that creates one of the best moments the entire album has to offer. The rest of the album does focus primarily on the higher end of the spectrum, but there is still some back and forth between the highs and lows on some of the other tracks that shake things up. I wouldn’t mind a bit more spoken word in the future considering how well it fits the band’s sound, but either way the vocal performances are very strong throughout this album.
My expectations for Nemorous’ full length were quite high, but they’ve surpassed them with What Remains When Hope Has Failed. The songwriting finds ways to be just as entrancing and powerful at its softest and most melodic while also reaching much harsher, raging peaks. Each listen has revealed more details and I’ve found many of these riffs still in my head afterwards, which is a testament to the album’s staying power. They have left themselves room to expand outwards further, but the band’s current sound is in peak form and has had a similar impact on me as Fen’s Winter did back in 2017 so I expect this one to stick around for quite some time to come. What Remains When Hope Has Failed is available from Bindrune Recordings.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg