Blut Aus Nord

Decline of the I – Escape Review

By Grymm on July 30, 2018 in 2018, Agonia Records, Black Metal, French Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Post-Metal, 38 comments

“Henri Laborit was a French neurobiologist who studied brain activities, including the brain patterns of rats when they’re met with undue aggression. In doing so, he developed chlorpromazine, a powerful antipsychotic used to treat severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, helping to change the tide of mental illness forever. However, due to being at odds with fellow researchers at the time, he felt that his recognitions were viewed as just a footnote compared to those of his peers, and he was said to have died a bitter man in 1995. France’s Decline of the I, led by main man and multi-instrumentalist A (Merrimack, Sektarism, The Order of Apollyon), formed to release a trilogy based on Laborit’s life and works.” Metal health.

Anicon – Entropy Mantra Review

By Akerblogger on June 25, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Black Metal, Reviews, Vendetta Records, Black Metal, 105 comments

“Anicon attempt to concoct equal amounts of pessimistic Scandinavian melodic black-metal with the contemporary ‘experimental’ touches of US bands such as Krallice. 2016’s debut record Exegeses was a dark, and winding black metal album. Entropy Mantra intensifies this.” Contents under pressure.

Reverorum ib Malacht – Im Ra Distare Summum Soveris Seris Vas innoble Review

By Grymm on May 17, 2018 in 2018, Annapurna, Black Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Black Metal, 129 comments

“When a band, such as Sweden’s Reverorum ib Malacht, takes on a slant when it comes to lyrical matter and atmosphere, my curiosity gets the better of me, and on their fourth album, the wordy Im Ra Distare Summum Soveris Seris Vas innoble, I tossed caution to the wind, and embraced the thought of unblack metal with an open mind, and an open heart…” Open heart, insert foot.

Adversvm – Aion Sitra Ahra Review

By Grymm on May 9, 2018 in 2018, Doom Metal, Drone, German Metal, Iron Bonehead Productions, Reviews, Doom Metal, Drone, Funeral Doom, 31 comments

“Okay, stop me if you’ve heard this one before: lofty, esoteric song titles and album names, a promo picture of a single dude who looks like one of the choir guys from Batushka and goes by just his initials, and very little-to-no-internet presence at all, so looking for much information on the “band” in question, other than the fact that Adversvm is a German one-man act, is an exercise in futility… all these things would have you screaming, “Fuck, not another one-man black metal band.” And I would sympathize with you completely if it was accurate. You see, though, Adversvm is a one-man funeral doom band hoping to make a name for himself in a steadily-growing genre.” One slow man.

Our Place of Worship is Silence – With Inexorable Suffering Review

By Grymm on April 18, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Grind, Reviews, Translation Loss, Black Metal, Death Metal, 88 comments

“With the change of seasons, there comes the need to step outside of one’s comfort zones to explore what’s out there for new music. As the cat-guy who’s had more than his fair share of one-person black metal, weepy doom metal, and even metalcore, I’ve been craving something more… organic. Something a little more sludgy. More grimy. Thankfully, With Inexorable Suffering, the second full-length from California’s Our Place of Worship is Silence, fit the bill nicely.” Worship silence, worship noise.

Chaos Echœs – Mouvement Review

By Master of Muppets on February 19, 2018 in 2018, Avante Garde, Black Metal, French Metal, Nuclear War Now! Productions, Reviews, Black Metal, 1 comment

“Contrary to popular belief, researchers have recently concluded that all metal does not, in fact, sound the same. Turns out, there are completely different styles of metal altogether. Like, tons of them. There’s a speed one, and a black one, and a doooom one and a melodeath… *ahem* Anyway, the point of my having shattered your world with such unfathomable concepts was to pave the way for blasphemous trvth bomb number two: it’s not always about the riffs, yo.” Metal awareness.

Ophe – Litteras Ad Tristia Maestrum Solitude Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on February 17, 2018 in 2018, Avante Garde, Black Metal, French Metal, My Kingdom Music, Reviews, Black Metal, 0 comments

“It’s a big deal when a band lists major influences, like Ævangelist, Dodecahedron, and Blut Aus Nord, in their biography. Sometimes it’s an innocent list, meant to feed the reader with keywords. Other times, it’s misleading. In Ophe’s case, the list ain’t that far off, as the band takes their forefather’s black/avant-garde style and French’s the fuck out of it. It’s Dodecahedron’s low-end, mixed with the dark, distant blackness of Ævangelist and layers of Område and Spektr. When you look deeper into Ophe, this isn’t a surprise. Considering that this one-man band consists of Område’s own Bargnatt XIX. But this ain’t no Område.” One, man, one basement.

Jupiterian – Terraforming Review

By Master of Muppets on November 22, 2017 in 2017, Black Metal, Brazilian Metal, Doom Metal, Reviews, Sludge, Transcending Obscurity, Black Metal, Doom Metal, Sludge, 47 comments

“Atmospheric doom/sludge. Ponder that tag and allow the words and your imagination to create a world, a special place of their design. Personally, there’s no light where those words take me. I see the genre before me and am transported somewhere dark, cold; visions of Errata convulse under Clouds which Swallow the Sun, and I begin to dream of a place that I could call home. Norway, Finland, Russia, Canada… the lands of ice and snow dance behind my eyes.” Weather forecast: Grim.

Blut Aus Nord – Deus Saluti Meæ Review

By Grymm on October 25, 2017 in 2017, Black Metal, Debemur Morti, French Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, 60 comments

“I’ve bounced back and forth on this review for Deus Saluti Meæ, the 12th studio album by French one-man black metal machine, Blut Aus Nord. As anyone who’s ever listened to them (him) before, the best way I can describe BaN’s discography would be to compare the band to a mighty oak tree. Some of the branches are frozen solid and covered in snow (Ultima Thulee, the Memoria Vetusta trilogy), while another branch is mold-ridden and diseased, looking like it’s moving in an uncomfortable manner (The Work Which Transforms God, MoRT, Odinist), and yet another looks manufactured (like formica), but is still teeming with undeniable living energy.” More bark than bite?

Mascharat – Mascharat Review

By Grymm on September 18, 2017 in 2017, Black Metal, Italian Metal, Reviews, Séance Records, Black Metal, 17 comments

“The Venetian Carnival originated in the 1100s as a way to celebrate the overthrowing of the Patriarch of Aquileia, Ulrico de Treven in 1162. Wearing colorful outfits and dancing in San Marco Square, the celebrants retained an air of anonymity by donning elaborate masks, which shortened the gap between the rich and affluent, and the poor and downtrodden. Milan’s Mascharat plays up this influential period in Renaissance history, using it as a backbone for their debut full-length, right down to the fact that almost nothing is known about the band except their location.” No one expects The Venetian Carnival!