Blut Aus Nord - 777 Sects
After re-releasing their much critically acclaimed, yet hard to find, 'Mystical Beast Of Rebellion,' fans were slightly unsure of where the enigmatic, atmospheric black metal act Blut Aus Nord would go. Previously, they released the critically acclaimed 'Memoria Vetusta II,' which critics raved about as being a 'return to the days of olde,' while still retaining a modern feel to the music. It seemed like they were stepping outside their industrial/ atmospheric black metal madness of albums like 'Mort' and 'Odinist,' which were heavy in distortion and certainly mystical in their own sense, but much of the musical beauty was obscured, save for the vocals which had their own tormented and furious unique qualities about them. Now, France's Blut Aus Nord are hard at work again trying to make the next 'top theological black metal' piece, obviously trying to outdo fellow Deathspell Omega, who earlier released the amazingly avant garde 'Paracletus,' which was as disturbing and thought provoking in lyrics as it was in sound. With '777 Sects,' part 1, Blut Aus Nord still go for a chaotic sound with a constant theme running through the tracks, but it is more leaning towards their 'Works That Transformed God' days,' which some consider the peak of their work.
So, as a result, the music spread throughout 'Sects' is cohesive, but very well thought out. Some parts are just distorted laden in chords plodding along with the drums, sometimes inconsistently and violently, such as with the opening track, while the vocals snarl along, but more often then not they won't crowd the musical space and the melodic keyboards can be heard in the background, along with what seems to be choirs; which is always a great effect with Blut Aus Nord's mystical approach (such as on "Epitome IV"). Other times the music will just suddenly stop and the drums will take on a very ominious tone to hold the listener in suspense, such as on "Epitome I," where there even seems to be a bit of industrial back beat involved, which lends a bit of influence to the 'Mort' days, but it doesn't seem as heavy ambiant and just there for noise. Instead, here, it is well placed and when combined with the keyboards shines like a light in the gloomy darkness of the earlier parts of the track. Of course some tracks show no remorse and sound just bizzare and often, badly tuned, but again this is part of Blut Aus Nord's style, especially back in the 'Works...' days such as with track "Epitome V" which just cuts right through with no pauses really and not much in the way of ambiance save for just strange melodic riffs choices jumping all over against a wall of noise that burns it way into the ear.
As a result, '777 Sects' may seem short but some of the tracks are more epic than others, so it rounds out as a solid black metal album. According to Debemur Morti, a part II is in the works that will be released later in 2011, but that is yet to be seen. Hopefully, with such a small gap in between production, the work will not be rushed, or a total repeat of 'Sects,' but still retain that brutal atmosphere that is also cohesive and interesting in the way that Deathspell Omega capture their fans (though usually the latter is also prone to making extremely lengthy songs that can cause of lose of interest). For new fans of Blut Aus Nord, if one likes atmospheric or slightly depressing metal that relies more on stranger guitar notes than just funeral drenched keyboards, then this will suit them well. The album themes, as usual, are always a treat to those who like lyrics that make one think, but the vocals are so twisted and blackened that it may take a lyric booklet to decipher them.
So, as a result, the music spread throughout 'Sects' is cohesive, but very well thought out. Some parts are just distorted laden in chords plodding along with the drums, sometimes inconsistently and violently, such as with the opening track, while the vocals snarl along, but more often then not they won't crowd the musical space and the melodic keyboards can be heard in the background, along with what seems to be choirs; which is always a great effect with Blut Aus Nord's mystical approach (such as on "Epitome IV"). Other times the music will just suddenly stop and the drums will take on a very ominious tone to hold the listener in suspense, such as on "Epitome I," where there even seems to be a bit of industrial back beat involved, which lends a bit of influence to the 'Mort' days, but it doesn't seem as heavy ambiant and just there for noise. Instead, here, it is well placed and when combined with the keyboards shines like a light in the gloomy darkness of the earlier parts of the track. Of course some tracks show no remorse and sound just bizzare and often, badly tuned, but again this is part of Blut Aus Nord's style, especially back in the 'Works...' days such as with track "Epitome V" which just cuts right through with no pauses really and not much in the way of ambiance save for just strange melodic riffs choices jumping all over against a wall of noise that burns it way into the ear.
As a result, '777 Sects' may seem short but some of the tracks are more epic than others, so it rounds out as a solid black metal album. According to Debemur Morti, a part II is in the works that will be released later in 2011, but that is yet to be seen. Hopefully, with such a small gap in between production, the work will not be rushed, or a total repeat of 'Sects,' but still retain that brutal atmosphere that is also cohesive and interesting in the way that Deathspell Omega capture their fans (though usually the latter is also prone to making extremely lengthy songs that can cause of lose of interest). For new fans of Blut Aus Nord, if one likes atmospheric or slightly depressing metal that relies more on stranger guitar notes than just funeral drenched keyboards, then this will suit them well. The album themes, as usual, are always a treat to those who like lyrics that make one think, but the vocals are so twisted and blackened that it may take a lyric booklet to decipher them.
- Epitome I
- Epitome II
- Epitome III
- Epitome IV
- Epitome V
- Epitome VI
Label: http://www.debemur-morti.com
Reviewer: Colin McNamara
Jun 11, 2011
Jun 11, 2011
Next review:
Angel Of Damnation - Carnal Philosophy
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