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Review: Sancitmus Tenebris by Nirensimt

I don’t review singles. I just don’t. I’ve always felt they were too short, too incomplete — a half-drunk bottle of whiskey when I want the full hangover. But every so often, something lands in my inbox that demands I make an exception, that scream in my face like my drunken ex, “You’re going to listen to this, and then you’re going to fucking feel it.” That’s what Nirensimt have done with Sanctimus Tenebris.

Now, I’ve been championing these Atmospheric Black Metal alchemists since the early days — one of the first bands I ever covered, back when I was still figuring out what the hell I was doing — and they’ve never let me down. Each release has been a further descent into the fog, a tightening of their creative focus, a deeper communion with the cold abyss that drives them. And with Sanctimus Tenebris, they’ve outdone themselves again.

This isn’t just another track — it’s a moment. A self-contained storm of shadow and sorrow, built on swirling riffs that feel ancient, almost ritualistic. The guitars bleed emotion, not distortion, painting vast, desolate soundscapes that seem to stretch far beyond the confines of the track’s runtime. The drums move between mournful march and furious release, while the vocals — that anguished, otherworldly noise — sound like the cries of something trapped between worlds.

There’s an elegance to the chaos here, a sense that Nirensimt know exactly how much to give and when to hold back. The production, while raw enough to retain the genre’s integrity, still lets every element breathe — layers of melody and melancholy twisting together in a slow, beautiful collapse. You can practically see the frost forming on the edges of your speakers as it plays.

By the time the track ends, you’re left suspended in silence — and that silence hurts. It’s the kind that demands you hit play again, because once Sanctimus Tenebris finishes, it feels like something vital has been taken away. It’s rare for a single track to leave such an impact, rarer still for it to sound like a complete world unto itself. But Nirensimt have managed it.

Sancitmus Tenebris is available from the Nirensimt Bandcamp page.

BLACK METAL ARCHIVES VERDICT: Sanctimus Tenebris is more than a single — it’s a spell, a snapshot of darkness frozen in sound. Atmospheric Black Metal at its most evocative, its most haunting, its most human. Nirensimt continue to prove why they’re one of the underground’s brightest (or should that be darkest?) flames.

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