In Nomine Dei surprised me with their intensity on “Zly”, the first of four tracks on their 2017 EP, “Lucernarium”. The Polish song title “Zly” translates as “Evil”, and the core message is that the main character will not let evil distract her from God. While the start of the song suggests thrash metal, it becomes more midtempo once Alina start singing. While not as theatrical, Alina’s voice reminds me of Catherine Ringer (Les Rita Mitsouko). Alina also pushes her voice to a gravelly scream that suits the mood of the music.
“Prorok” (The Prophet) has a great hard rock groove, and the guitars have a no-nonsense, modern tone. The dual guitar attack also stands out in this one, like in the solo, where Michał and Patryk take turns to drive the melody ever higher. The lyrics “It’s Him, He’s coming / My Servant” points to Jesus Christ, and at that moment where He is baptised by John at the start of His ministry (Matthew 3:13-17).
While titled “Mrok” (The Dark), this song speaks of the fire of the Holy Spirit that burns within us. Listen to the opening few bars, and what Alina does there. Can I be bold and suggest that IND are tipping a hat to Rage Against The Machine? I love the layering of Alina’s voice when she sings “Amen”, and in the mix I hear a lower harmony accompanying her voice at times. It’s a subtle, but great production addition. IND don’t emulate RATM’s funk, which is a good choice in my opinion.
The last track on “Lucernarium” is an instrumental titled “777”. It is slow and soulful, and is quite different in character to the other songs. It shows me that IND have a varied repertoire and are equally at home in rock and roll and heavy metal. In this song I can also hear how bassist, Konrad, walks the groove. I also get the feeling that Marcin is a little more free with the drums here. Altogether a competent EP, and I look forward to another full-length album in the future.
“Lucernarium” scores 7/10.
Written by Karakul
Track list
1. Zly
2. Prorok
3. Mrok
4. 777
Band members:
Michał Paliwoda – guitar
Patryk Mroczek – guitar
Marcin Mroczkowski – drums
Alina Lewandowska – vocals
Konrad Kuza – bass
Release Date: Aug. 2017
Record label: PM Records
Studio albums/EPs:
“Przyjdz (2008)
“In Nomine Dei” (2011)
“Lucernarium” (2017)
Follow In Nomine Dei at Facebook / Instagram / Soundcloud
Buy the album here:
Holland: First Paradox
Norway: Nordic Mission
Video for ‘Prorok’