It’s been a bit since we heard from the NUMEN camp. I will admit to being personally excited to hear something new from the band. I’ve been a fan for quite a while now. I say personally, because I am Basque myself, so to have a band from the region I am from and that sings in the native language (Euskara), plus the added folk / heritage instrumentation into the mix, well, it’s a no-brainer for me. Now, for the uninitiated, NUMEN plays a very aggressive form of Black Metal in the vein of DARK FUNERAL, SARGIEST and AZAGHAL. You would almost be forgiven for thinking you pressed play on one of the bands above on a first listen. While not quite being completely derivative by any means, you will understand when I speak of the intensity and the auditory onslaught you will be subjecting yourself to. While we are on the subject of aggression, I do have to mention that this is by far their most in-your-face and chaotic release from the band. Try taking a listen to track #2 ‘Negu Itxian Urtarril Hotza’ to get a sample of where I’m coming from. On the band’s early releases, they began as a very primal version of what they eventually would become. The folk sensibilities and the native sounds and ambient aura were much more prominent by the time of their “Iluntasuna Besarkatu Nuen Betiko” release. Even in the artwork and visuals, they all reinforce this fact. It seems the band has had some pent-up aggression to release, or decided to get back to basics. While not quite being an EP, and at 37 minutes, you are in for quite a battering. Even the artwork is dark, simple and to the point. I, for one, thoroughly enjoyed the much more aggressive stance they have returned to and its straight-to-the-point mentality. I will mention that the folk elements have been dialed back a bit. They only make their presence known at the end of each song. A bookend of sorts, and it offers a bit of a calming aura after the pummeling you have been subjected to. The production for the most part is spot on and leans a bit more to the guitars and also the vocals being a bit forward in the mix. The bass (as usual) is buried, but I did notice that with headphones, you can get a bit more of a sense of what the bassist is contributing to the dynamic. So, quite a positive return to the early days for the band. It’s good to see they still have that aggressive stance in their blood after a seven year wait between albums. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait as long for the next one. www.facebook.com/numenofficial, www.facebook.com/ladloproductions