The NOMVDIC project is one that hits close to home, not just for me but for anyone who captures the tonalities and words from this unique act. Ingrained with the deepest, darkest depths of the human state, throwing a NOMVDIC track on belts the listener with thought-provoking instrumentals inspired by everything from progressive metalcore to atmospheric black metal. Tack on the bleak, harrowing vocal delivery, and the result is truly one of metal’s best-kept secrets. So with People Just Leave arriving, it’s high-time to visit another thematic journey from this unpredictable group.
Not one for lead-up, People Just Leave introduces the listener to the meticulous chaos in “People”s opening moments with thundering triplets from a commanding snare and fast strums to set an immediate tone. Impassioned yells from vocalist James Lewis beckon, “Release me from your hold, I’m begging” as the stage is set for the themes at play in PJL. The rising action of bleak lyricism and doom-y guitars leads to quite possibly the most massive, well-executed breakdowns I’ve heard in recent memory. It’s not often this tried-and-true passage can raise eyebrows, but the tempo-change, panic notes, and manic mosh call are still giving me goosebumps even after a handful of listens.
Where “People” led with a bang, “Just” opens with a distressing voicemail as the towering guitars make their presence known. It’s soon after that Lewis showcases his vocal range with veracity and succinct lyrics warranting repentance amidst blast beats and more laser-focused instrumental runs. Lewis revealed that his rotation included such acts as Humanity’s Last Breath and Portrayal of Guilt, and the inspiration of these idiosyncratic groups can be felt especially within this midway point of People Just Leave. Another climactic breakdown and it’s evident that the winning formula doesn’t need tampering with for NOMVDIC.
“Leave” brings about chugs and riffs to juxtapose the deliberate, slower pace of the previous two tracks. It brings about the most dire, vulnerable lyrics yet, delivered with a rasp and a sense of desperation. As the song arrive at its most frenetic point, it then ceases on a whim with a delicate, sorrowful bridge into a full-on black metal cavalcade of intensity. The unpredictability is going to throw listeners for a loop in the best way possible. Nomvdic can pull from so many iterations of metal that genre no longer matters – “Leave” transcends a label and instead celebrates how metal can convey emotions in a bevy of facets.
A masterful grasp of metal music, People Just Leave isn’t just a thematic journey, it’s a clear-cut true statement and serves as 14 minutes of emotional release, of envigored vehemence, and a resonance to anyone fed up with others. Backed by Blood Blast Distribution (Brand of Sacrifice, Frontierer), NOMVDIC is slowly but surely receiving well-deserved exposure to a larger audience. It’s certain this Nomvdic EP will stay in my rotation for longer than I can anticipate. A short film on People Just Leave is set for release alongside the EP this Friday. Look to stream the EP in full starting August 25th.
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