Nílim - Uncoiling

Nílim, The industrial leaning solo endeavour of noted Limerick musician John Quill [Third Island, Ordinator] is a name new to me and one that is definitely worthy of your attention, especially if you’re in the market for some Godflesh/Author & Punisher adjacent, fe-fi-fuckin’rocious heft. The songs are lengthy, weighty, pitchblack and gilded in a layer of deeply pleasing filth that brings to mind the oppressive production work of Gnaw Their Tongues, if not that project’s breakneck pace.

Throughout the one-two of ‘The Relic’ and ‘Psychic Collapse’, the shadow of Justin K. Broadrick looms large, between the skyscraper toppling riffs and a guttural bark, a slow and patient explosion of an introduction. The music on offer is industrial at its heart, with an eye towards black metal tonalities and modern sludge stylings, whilst the title track revels in the sort of gargantuan post metal riffs in the style of recently resurrected pioneers of the genre, Neurosis. The fiercely D.I.Y. approach behind the one-man band also echoes that of the Oakland trailblazers, however the conviction with which this material is delivered sets Nílim firmly in the camp of “incredible artists inspired by Neurosis”, rather than “artists who ape Neurosis”.

The wonderful Tapes of Wrath have just put together an absolutely feral new package collecting the self titled demo and ‘Uncoiling’ EP from 2025, and it cannot come highly recommended enough. Beautiful and unrelenting, a stellar exhibition of young master Quills talents, which I’ll look forward to seeing live, in Anseo, come the end of July.