Nehëmah

 

When it comes to quality French black metal, there is so much more than just Les Légions Noires. While underground bands like Ixion and Skullface predate LLM by several years, NEHËMAH, from Savoy, emerged around the time that the Légions were just getting their start.

With a name based on the Sumerian word for the demon Lilith, the band was founded in 1992 by Corven. While there were several other musicians in the band in these early years, the essence of the band really consisted of Corven and Eligor. From the outset, Nehëmah has drawn inspiration from Bathory and other old-school bands. And while there isn't much music from the early years of the band, a 1992 rehearsal did eventually see the light of day as part of a boxed set.

"Black Winds Over the Walls of Csejthe" comes from their 1995 demo

In 1995, Nehëmah put out a now-classic demo, Light of a Dead Star. This demo showcased the raw, stripped-down, minimalist stylings Nehëmah is now known for. The sound clearly bears the stamp of early Bathory as well as Dead-era Mayhem and old Burzum. It's the kind of demo black metal fans live for. Following this demo, Corven chose to put the band on hold so he could focus on other projects (mainly the viking metal band Himinbjorg). 

This is the title track from the 2002 album Light of a Dead Star

Upon re-forming at the dawn of the new millenium, Eligor had departed and Corven had recruited new musicians to round out the band. Corven, Sorghal, and Dargon then became the core of the band. They continued putting out music in the raw, minimalist vein of their '90s demo material (many of the songs from this era were simply re-recorded songs from the early years). In addition to the aforementioned bands, the influence of Darkthrone's early work can also be heard. Simply listen to "Light of a Dead Star" (above).

With 2003's Shadows from the Past..., Nehëmah's vicious black metal was given a smoother production style, for a different effect. Still nasty and evil, the production was more Swedish than Norwegian. That said, there really was no one in the French scene that sounded like them. 

"The Thousand Tongues of Medusa" comes from their 2003 album

2004's Requiem Tenebrae gives us "The Great Old Ones"

Select Discography:

Rehearsal/Feigd (demo) (1992)

Light of a Dead Star (demo) (1995)

Nehëmah (demo) (2001)

Light of a Dead Star (full-length) (2002)

Shadows from the Past... (full-length) (2003)

Requiem Tenebrae (full-length) (2004)

Next time: XIBALBA