Album Review : Craig Bannerman “Naked Came I”

Album Review : Craig Bannerman “Naked Came I”

With Naked Came I, Australian composer Craig Bannerman delivers a deeply devotional and strikingly personal statement that left a strong first impression on me. This is the first time I’ve encountered his work, and the experience is both intense and unsettling. Blending unblack metal, atmospheric black metal, doom, and orchestral elements, Bannerman crafts a record that feels less like entertainment and more like a solemn offering.

The production is correct and well balanced, especially considering it was entirely written, recorded, mixed, and mastered independently. The vocals are impressively varied: cavernous growls, piercing shrieks, occasional female passages that add texture and contrast, and even narrative-style vocals that heighten the scriptural atmosphere. This diversity keeps the album dynamic across its spiritual arc.

Musically, the drums can sometimes sound too busy, perhaps overly dense, and could benefit from more restraint though this may well be an intentional aesthetic choice to amplify the emotional weight. What truly fascinates me is the atmosphere. Despite the use of melodic instruments: choirs, piano, and orchestral layers, the overall mood remains deeply unsettling, almost dark at times. It leans far closer to traditional black metal darkness than what many would expect from the “unblack metal” label. The track “Be of Good Cheer” perfectly illustrates this tension, pairing its hopeful title with a sonically oppressive landscape.

Naked Came I is undeniably original. I have rarely heard something that merges devotion and extremity in such a singular way. There is immense potential here. Well played.

Craig Bannerman