Review by Nekrist on May 2, 2024.

For some time now I have been exploring the global extreme metal scene to find new gems to which I can dedicate my well-deserved time of contemplation and analysis. In my search for new and dark sounds in metal I came across a mysterious band from Eastern Europe, more specifically from Belarus, a malevolent spirit who responds to the name of Ciemra (“Цемра” in her native language). Name that translates simply and simply as “darkness”, and it is a more than adequate name for this group, it is a declaration of principles, a banner that makes the musical and artistic intention of the band very clear to us: an ode to everything nocturnal and dying. The aesthetic presence of the band seems to have been a well thought out idea to complement their music, dark and ghostly beings with small hand sickles, hoods covering their heads and long black robes that reminded me of the famous Nazgul.

Ciemra play a mid-step modern black metal style, funereal, desolate and forceful that infected my spirit, dragging me to listen to it again and again without being able to do anything about it, as if a supernatural force or vortex of darkness had possessed my free reasoning and was chained to the music of this band. Musically speaking, the songs on this album obscurely named The Tread Of Darkness are funeral marches of an apocalyptic dusk, with guitar riffs that immediately envelop and capture with immeasurable nostalgia and fury, elegant drums that accompany us throughout. of the disk like war drums of the army of the Lord of Death Cain, and his cadaverous soldiers carrying sickles and scythes, ready for another nightly harvest of souls.

The guitars and drums sometimes leave their prototypical black metal attack and focus more on rhythmic patterns perfect for headbanging while our soul darkens as we immerse ourselves in the album. The bass is pulsating and provides that necessary depth to fill those recesses through which there could be some sonic leak, filling them satisfactorily to create this great misanthropic mass, accompanied with a clear and exquisite production in which you can hear every small detail that contributes layers and nuances to the whole record. There are moments in which the speed accelerates, transmitting a more traditional black metal, without leaving aside the personal touch of the band.

Now I would like to emphasize the vocal performance, which was without a doubt my favorite part of the album. First of all I must clarify that a girl is the one behind those gloomy and spectral laments and screams that made me feel chills. This girl has a stunning Devilish voice that makes you feel all the hatred being thrown with those poisonous screams, a constant terror that shook my tranquility, like a witch spitting curses on my being without me being able to defend myself in any way. It is a very typical voice of the black metal, but what makes me have enjoyed it so much is the sincerity and passion with which it was performed. It reminded me a lot of another great and mysterious vocalist from Ciemra's compatriots, “Dkharmakhaoz”, highly recommended and to whom I will also dedicate a review.

Without a doubt I enjoyed this album a lot, it is not a great black metal proposal, but the conviction with which it was recorded managed to captivate me enough to write a review about it. Ciemra will definitely now be on my musical radar, and I will be aware whatever news they have to offer, I'm very curious to see how this band's sound evolves, and I can't wait to hear that sinister and massarious female voice again in future releases, a very enjoyable album without a doubt.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by JD on February 25, 2009.

Hailing from the dirty streets of New York City, comes a extreme Death Metal band that is as antagonistic as where they had came from. RTHC come across as so brutal that they seem almost inhuman as they pound their music into your very psyche and bypassing all of your senses.

They are so amazingly heavy and by far one of those sort of bands that truly subscribe to the mind set of having total mastery in their music... but on the flipside of the coin, RTHC do have some very decidedly glaring faults that end up weakening the first impression you get with them.

The music, although amazing at first, does not really go anywhere. They seem to get stuck in loop of tempos and just stays there without trying very hard to get out of the rut they have dug all by themselves. Tempo wise, you cant really tell where one song ends and another one starts because of the likeness between them all. It is odd, considering that anyone with a brain can hear the amount of talent these guys have.

How this album was recorded in the first place shows that the person who did it knew what he was doing... making the term stellar seem pretty much too weak. It boosts the music up ten fold, but even that cannot save the album in the end. RTHC sputters and wavers, yet there is a sense that there is better things to come, but not on this disk. For all of the guttural screaming and heavy guitars that is laced onto this CD, it ends up feeling more like a garbled whimper than a great album.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7
Atmosphere: 6
Production: 10 (how it was recorded is incredible)
Originality: 6
Overall: 6

Rating: 7 out of 10