review by: Roberto Martinelli

The first Burmese was one of the most intense, noisy, frightening slabs of violent, blasting sludge ever. Play it in a dark room and it would even scare the most cult of black metallers.

Now Burmese, for Burmese, has gotten soft. The new album is much slower, with only a part or two that goes for spittle emitting, blasting parts. But the intensity is still there. You’ll still hear the freakish screams and howls and tortured whimperings mixed in with sounds that can only be from a farm full of animals on an electric fence.

You might be reading along and figure Burmese is a grind band. It’s not. Or a noise band. Not that either. Or maybe a sludge band. Wrong. It’s one of those between-the-cracks, whacked out bands that tUMULt specializes in. Is A Mere Shadow and Reminiscence of Humanity Burmese’s best album? No. You should definitely get the first one first, but freaks of the fucked and flayed will enjoy the second offering, too. (6/10)