Blut Aus Nord - 777: The Desanctification
'777: The Desanctification" is the highly anticipated follow up to Blut Aus Nord's '777: Sects.' Even though there was barely a year in between each part, it feels like forever since Blut Aus Nord put something out. 'Desanctification' is pretty much on the exact same track as 'Sects,' continuing down the tracklist with "VII" to "XIII" to round out the esoteric story. The music is a lot more chaotic than the previous album and still in the vein of 'Works Which Transform God,' so the hazy atmosphere with the Deathspell Omega tones is extremely well patterned. Many of the riffs may seem repetitive though, such as on the first track "VII," but sometimes the wall of sound can get so thick it becomes hard to tell. Unfortunately this wall often obscures the vocals, which are their usual pained snarl or even a clean, mournful wail such as on "X," which tries to pass off as part of an atmospheric church atmosphere; the only problem is the wall of sound prevents listeners from the full experience. There is even some piano involved which is a beautiful addition, but again, the guitar distortion and co. tend to ruin the moment.
Thankfully, there is one track that is devoid of the harsh atmosphere, and may be Blut Aus Nord's most 'calm' one to date. "IX" comes off as a surprise as eerie, eastern, and psychedelic; not their usual style. Melechesh would be more apt at creating something like this with the middle eastern tones involved, but Blus Aus Nord pulls it off wonderfully as the perfect interlude. It doesn't add much to the concept of 'The Desanctification,' but it adds a huge plus to experimentation for the band to make this album at least somewhat different from 'Sects.' Had Blus Aus Nord left this entire album as the hazy, insane mess that all the other tracks present, some might just consider this as a bad copy of Deathspell Omega's 'Paracletus,' released last year in November 2010. Other tracks like "XII" try to attain the same atmospheric, calming glory that "IX" does, but it just comes up as eerie, much in the way blackened funeral doom can. The keyboards are a bit more distinct throughout the music as the distortion is toned down a bit, but then they create their own wall of sound so the vocals are hard to hear.
As far as the concept goes... only reading the lyrics from a physical copy or online will tell the tale. This is more atmospheric metal to contemplate to rather than anything to really headbang or go wild about. It comples the duo for a massive, epic album that is by far Blut Aus Nord's best work... but only when combined. To separate 'The Desanctification' and "Sects' is to divide and conquer the experience; the two are so similar it would have been better to release this as a double album. Fans who have not heard this before are best to listen to 'Sects' first and then put 'The Desanctification' in right after to get the full experience, and those who have already heard 'Sects' will probably want to hear it again to refresh their memory of how easily the two connect. For those who have never heard Blut Aus Nord before, this French trio is certainly worth looking into for fans of dark, atmospheric black metal along the lines of Blut Aus Nord, Funeral Mist, or Xasthur.
Thankfully, there is one track that is devoid of the harsh atmosphere, and may be Blut Aus Nord's most 'calm' one to date. "IX" comes off as a surprise as eerie, eastern, and psychedelic; not their usual style. Melechesh would be more apt at creating something like this with the middle eastern tones involved, but Blus Aus Nord pulls it off wonderfully as the perfect interlude. It doesn't add much to the concept of 'The Desanctification,' but it adds a huge plus to experimentation for the band to make this album at least somewhat different from 'Sects.' Had Blus Aus Nord left this entire album as the hazy, insane mess that all the other tracks present, some might just consider this as a bad copy of Deathspell Omega's 'Paracletus,' released last year in November 2010. Other tracks like "XII" try to attain the same atmospheric, calming glory that "IX" does, but it just comes up as eerie, much in the way blackened funeral doom can. The keyboards are a bit more distinct throughout the music as the distortion is toned down a bit, but then they create their own wall of sound so the vocals are hard to hear.
As far as the concept goes... only reading the lyrics from a physical copy or online will tell the tale. This is more atmospheric metal to contemplate to rather than anything to really headbang or go wild about. It comples the duo for a massive, epic album that is by far Blut Aus Nord's best work... but only when combined. To separate 'The Desanctification' and "Sects' is to divide and conquer the experience; the two are so similar it would have been better to release this as a double album. Fans who have not heard this before are best to listen to 'Sects' first and then put 'The Desanctification' in right after to get the full experience, and those who have already heard 'Sects' will probably want to hear it again to refresh their memory of how easily the two connect. For those who have never heard Blut Aus Nord before, this French trio is certainly worth looking into for fans of dark, atmospheric black metal along the lines of Blut Aus Nord, Funeral Mist, or Xasthur.
- Epitome VII
- Epitome VIII
- Epitome IX
- Epitome X
- Epitome XI
- Epitome XII
- Epitome XIII
Label: http://www.debemur-morti.com
Reviewer: Colin McNamara
Oct 2, 2011
Oct 2, 2011
Next review:
4 Ways of Eastern Brutality - Split Release
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