Is there no end to this man’s creativity? Seriously? By ‘this man’, I refer of course to enigmatic Frenchman known as ‘Vindsval’ who across the best part of two decades, has released album after album of mesmerizing, haunting and forward-thinking black metal under the Blut Aus Nord banner. I ask the question as here were are, barely 18 months after the final part of the captivating ‘777’ trilogy of albums reached their conclusion with the highly-acclaimed ‘Cosmosophy’, he is back with another full length album, this time revisiting the more melodic, pastoral ‘Memoria Vetusta’ side of the project.
Whereby the 777 trilogy opted to explore ever further the more accepted face of more recent Blut Aus Nord albums – that is, deeply haunting, sinister, discordant and quasi-mechanised soundscapes – the Memoria Vetusta albums have tended to dwell in more glittering, sweeping climes. The last instalment (2009’s ‘Dialogue with the Stars’) was a shimmering, cosmic expression that whilst retaining core Blut Aus Nord elements (eerie synths, that howling guitar sound and the mechanical precision of programmed percussion) nonetheless deployed these ingredients to look upwards as opposed to down, to gaze towards the heavens and reach for something beyond.
And so to part 3 – Saturnian Poetry. The cover art hints at things to come – a wonderful hand-painted landscape courtesy of the renowned artist (and 90s black metal album cover legend) ‘Necrolord’ (aka Kristian Wahlin) – promising a record rooted in the traditional trappings of the Scandinvian black metal to describe realms at once pastoral and awe-inspiring yet tinged with a sense of menace. And that is exactly what we have – from start to finish, ‘Memoria Vetusta III: Saturnian Poetry’ delivers a master-class in captivating melodic black metal.
First, the changes – and the biggest difference between this album and previous albums is the presence of live drums courtesy of Deathrow mastermind Thorn. It’s an inspired move, particularly for this expression of Blut Aus Nord. The acoustic drums lend genuine weight, power and physicality to the proceedings. One of the weaknesses of ‘Dialogue with the Stars’ was the rather tinny nature of the drum samples – appropriate for the project’s more dungeony moments, sure, but less appropriate for a more traditional black metal sound. That’s not a problem here and Thorn’s powerful, inventive percussion work propels this album beautifully.
The guitar tone has changed as well, for the first time in years. It’s meatier, nastier and more defined here. It’s perhaps less idiosyncratic than on the previous few albums but it’s definitely more intense and full sounding. It complements the myriad riffs on this album wonderfully well – and what riffs they are. Saturnian Poetry displays a near-perfect blend of melody and intensity, of searing reflection with frenzied aggression. From the opening textures of ‘Paein’ which swoop and dive in a classic Nordic fashion (bringing to mind Setherial’s classic ‘Nord’ album at points) to the closing assault of ‘Clarissima Mundi Lumina’ (which almost channels the spirit of Hate Forest in its intensity), the quality and invention of the song-writing is relentless.
It’s hard to pick highlights, such is the consistency quality that Vindsval delivers across this record’s 50 minute running time. ‘Tellus Mater’ features stirring vocal choirs and an insistent, militaristic climax (replete with pounding toms) whilst the melancholic refrains that run through ‘Metaphor of the Moon’ send a shiver down the spine. The crowning glory however is the centrepiece ‘Forhist’, without a doubt one of the best songs I’ve heard all year. The main riff is compelling, intoxicating, replete with modal shifts and subtle inflections. That it cannons into a refrain that is equally addictive whilst lacing it with a cloak of despond just further underlines the expertise of the songcraft here.
As modern take on mid-90s influenced melodic black metal, ‘Saturnian Poetry’ is as close to faultless as it gets. I have to emphasise that this is by no means some sort of ‘retro’ homage – far from it, in face. The classic elements of Blut Aus Nord are all present and correct – however, they manage to channel an older spirit through the music, evoking something at once nostalgic and thrilling, comfortable yet challenging. It has struck this balance beautifully and must rank as the band’s most successful work since 2003’s epoch-shifting ‘The Work that Transforms God’. No mean feat indeed and Vindsval’s genius continues, undimmed and unabated.
(9.5/10 Frank Allain)
Leave a Reply