Sumerian metal legion, Erimha, has carved out an intriguing interpretation of black metal on its third full-length release, Thesis Ov Warfare (released Oct. 30 via Victory Records). On its previous release, 2013’s Reign Through Immortality, the Montréal-based band created a sonic assault of modern black metal with swirling, symphonic flourishes and esoteric lyrics based on Sumerian and Mesopotamian culture. On the haunting follow-up, Thesis Ov Warfare, the band delivers ten expansive soundscapes decorated with a dominant, guitar-driven approach. Vocalist Gore and drummer Ksaos, surrounded by guitarists Kronik (who also plays bass on the record) and Kthien, place more of an emphasis on dynamics and atmosphere this time around. 
 
“The last record was a little bit more extreme,” Ksaos stated. “But I think this one took the same approach as the first record, Irkalla. Back in the days, we used to work with two guitar players, Alix and Kthien, but there’s a friend who joined us for this record which is Kronik. The guitar work was working so good together that we based the record on the actual guitar this time around.”
 
Although Thesis Ov Warfare isn’t a full-on concept album like Reign Through Immortality, it possesses otherworldly, mythical and metaphysical elements. Something that the band hold dear to their hearts. “This one is more personal,” Ksaos said. “The band exploded in the last four years and it brought different changes in our life. This album is more personal and less fictional. It’s based more toward the real conviction of the band and a kind of analysis towards what was going on in our lives.”

 
Mesopotamian and Sumerian lore has always played a major role in Erimha’s DNA, and this aspect remains intact on Thesis Ov Warfare, only not as dominant. “We always keep Sumerian (lore) and stuff like this close to us,” Ksaos said. “We base the band not only on the Sumerian stuff but everything toward ancient knowledge and how your mind is working. And that magic of this world flows through everyone. This stuff is always not that far from us because it’s a huge part of the inspiration of the band.”
 
With Gore’s vocals, there are less of the Shagrath of Dimmu Borgir comparisons on Thesis Ov Warfare. This time around, Gore utilizes less effects and concentrates more on his natural, raspy howl. His tone is guttural and vicious. “The fact that the music was a bit toned down, we wanted to do something much more different with this record vocally,” Gore declared. “I saw a different approach to it because the lyrics were deeper in context for us. So I wanted to bring the vocal tone more personal toward it.” 
 
Thesis Ov Warfare is a pretty long affair at over an hour in duration, even “The Process Of Reversal” is an almost ten minute track. The album’s dexterity is more in line with a lengthy prog rock record compared to a blackened metal band. However, there’s a lot of variation within the instrumentation, plus it has a lot of trademark Erimha musical elements throughout it.
 
“I think this is the most organic album we’ve done to date,” Ksaos said. “I went in and did what I feel and not what should be there or placed. Ideas just kept flowing when we were in the studio. We didn’t really look to take a direction. That particular song (“The Process Of Reversal”), the process was Kthien grabbing his guitar and everything just fell together. Everyone just got the emotion of where he was going and it ended up being the first song that we recorded for the album. We didn’t force anything on this album, everything just came through together.”
 
The playing on the album is enormously tight and furious, especially Ksaos’s relentless drumming approach. Each member pushed themselves during the recording. 

“This album was a little bit different for me,” Ksaos said. “Normally we base everything on the lyrics and even before touching the drums I really know where I’m going from the beginning till the end of the song. This album was based on the guitar work, so at the end of the composition, I just plunged into the record and did everything i could do to bring the emotion I knew were for the lyrics. It was very important for me on the record to be able to have a large horizon of drumming.”
 
Although the keyboard orchestrations aren’t as dominant on Thesis Ov Warfare, they are still present. The entire orchestration was composed by Ken Sorceron of Abigail Williams. He and Erimha’s friendship developed over their last tour and he was the right person for the job, as Ksaos explained. “Ken is someone that we always respected even back in the days before Erimha was born,” he said. “We always respected the work he did with every band he worked with. On the last tour we got really friendly with Ken. With the emotion of the album, we felt Ken was the guy to do that. So when we asked Ken to do it, he was really pumped. Ken did exactly what we wanted to do on the record.”
 
Erimha has landed some decent tours in the past with some respectable headliners such as Mushroomhead, Cryptopsy, Necronomicon and Deicide. They even appeared on the Mayhem Festival with Korn and Avenged Sevenfold. Erimha will embark on a November headlining run in Canada to re-hit the markets they’ve visited before and some they have yet to visit. A U.S. tour hasn’t been finalized as of yet, but will most likely be on the band’s horizon in the near future. Since its 2010 inception, Erimha has accomplished aplenty, and the growth in maturity is tremendously noticeable on Thesis Ov Warfare. Things are looking up for Erimha. 
 
“We had a chance to play with bands that we’ve known since a long time,” Gore concludes. “For us, Erimha has always been an experience where you can push your limits and learn to know yourself in different ways. Those tours were perfect for us. You just have to overcome in your mind and perform as good as you can. I think for us, it was a good training for the entire perspective of playing in a band. We’re really grateful for everything that’s happening right now.”