Hail, you shattered relics of the Black Metal Archives—Sean here, still reeling from the cold grip of Merged in Abyss’s Ave Exitium. I cranked this tonight, and it’s like Slovakia’s bleak heart opened up and swallowed me whole. Dug this one-man ruin out of Depths of Void’s grim vault, released July 8, 2024, and its six tracks carve a jagged scar across my soul—let’s tear into it, finally getting it right!
Merged in Abyss took root in Slovakia’s shadows in 2020, the lone work of Nullus (vocals, guitars, drums, keyboards), with Exanim (bass) lending heft to this descent. Ave Exitium is their latest wound, a depressive black metal slab etched in Prešov’s silence, unleashed via Depths of Void.
Let’s look at some of the track highlights!
“Chasm” drops like a stone into the void, guitars groaning with a slow, mournful weight, Nullus’s voice a hoarse cry that echoes off unseen walls—I’m caught, sinking fast. “Life Must Be Not…” rolls in next, a bleak trudge of riffs that twist like a noose, Exanim’s bass a steady thrum beneath the gloom—my pulse slows, hooked on its despair. “Through Burning Wastelands” shifts the air, guitars smoldering with a raw, ashen edge, Nullus’s snarls fraying into the wind—damn, it’s a gut-punch that lingers.
“Preaching Death” drones like a sermon from a broken pulpit, slow and relentless, the keyboards casting a faint, chilling haze—I’m swaying, lost in its grim tide. “Babylon” builds a tower of sorrow, riffs stacking high and hollow, vocals rasping like a last breath. “Ave Exitium” seals it, the title track a towering dirge—guitars grind like collapsing stone, and I’m left staring into nothingness, drained but enthralled.
Merged in Abyss’s sound is a desolate sprawl—Nullus’s guitars and keys weave a tapestry of bleak tones, Exanim’s bass a quiet anchor in the murk. The drums plod with a steady, mournful gait, and Nullus’s vocals are the raw nerve, cracked and piercing. In black metal’s dark lineage, this brushes against Early Burzum’s solitude and Forgotten Tomb’s heavy melancholy, but with a rough-hewn, Eastern soul that stands apart. Ave Exitium is a slow bleed—turn it up, let it consume you, and join me in this stark abyss.
You forlorn spirits, hit the comments with your take—how did this album hollow you out? Stream it on Bandcamp and let it drag you under!
Stay broken, you lost wraiths, and keep the shadows close!
RATING: 5 OUT OF 5
