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Blut aus Nord have delivered perhaps the prog metal record of the year. This is ironic, given their general categorization as black metal. Then again, this isn’t your big brother’s black metal. Early efforts were requisitely frostbitten, but The Work Which Transforms God transformed the band. Blut aus Nord became an abyss of disharmonic guitars and dissociated drum machines. Its trough (or peak, depending on viewpoint) was 2006’s MoRT (reviewed here), one of the scariest records ever made, in any genre.
The Cosmic Echoes of Non-Matter
Odinist (reviewed here) stepped back from the abyss with more grounded guitars. Now the band has returned to Western tonalities with a sequel to 1996’s Memoria Vetusta I. The result is exquisite. All those years suppressing melodies must have built up quite a reserve. Solos soar; songs perorate; chord progressions wax ornate. (The pedestrian programmed drums, which beg for human interpretation, are the only blot.) De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas this is not. But Blut aus Nord engage in the same creative destruction that Mayhem did in the ’90s. Mayhem destroyed death metal and themselves, and ironically laid the groundwork for black metal orthodoxy.
Recognizing that orthodoxy is anathema to black metal, Blut aus Nord have reconfigured the form. They destroy the old order by building a new one. It’s not revolutionary; the return to conventional tonality is classicist. But music goes in cycles, and Blut aus Nord have the wheel firmly in hand. They’ve just steered back onto Euclidean planes.
orthodoxy is anathema to black metalBWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Sorry. Carry on.
(I kinda like this record, but haven’t given it the attention I did earlier releases; I think of the French weirdos, Spektr are my favorites, followed by these guys, and Antaeus after them, with Deathspell now bringing up the rear after that semi-disappointing single-song EP.)
Disappointing single-song EP?! Disappointing?! Why you…
I’m glad you enjoyed this after all. I’m still spellbound by the beauty of it. Many, many listens. I’ve almost gotten used to the idea that I’ll never know what the lyrics are in this because I’ve internalized the memories of these songs so much I’ve almost written my own stories to go with them.
You should listen to the first couple of BAN records to see why this return was eagerly awaited by many. Ultima Thulee and Memoria pt. I for me are very flawed records but they showed a promise for something greater, which is the record, 12 years later. They might have gathered acclaim for the Work Which Transforms God and Odinist (not many people praise MORT like you do) but for those that happened upon the early records first there was always something unfulfilled. I’m sure BAN will go in further directions from here on. I’m happy even if they never make another piece like this one, it’s enough for me.
About the categorization of this as progressive, I agree to the end that the band is doing innovative things within the paradigm but I would expect any band that truly understands the essence of Heavy Metal to have a fundamental ambition to push to new extremes. We don’t usually call all the bands that do this progressive metal bands because the term has been entrenched into meaning ’something like Dream Theater’.
This is a black metal record, although it’s progressive. Symbols beg for reinterpretation and internalization, not the commercial exploitation that ends them withered and functionless in any other capacity than just as pointers towards something earlier and greater. If this isn’t black metal, then black metal doesn’t exist anymore. Kill on this stone a thousand Darkthrone clones!
This will probably be my top album for the year. A masterpiece.
BAN: Ew.
I enjoyed this album quite a bit. Reviewed it here.
I agree that Blut Aus Nord have reconfigured the form, and done so while still maintaining their commitment to poorly-programmed, “pedestrian” drums.
However, the statement, “Orthodoxy is an anathema to [B]lack [M]etal” is only true in the old sense of “anathema” being an offering to the gods.
Innovation is not the most important attribute of great Black Metal.
Excellent review! I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind providing some further thoughts on this quote:
“Mayhem destroyed death metal and themselves, and ironically laid the groundwork for black metal orthodoxy.”