Blut Aus Nord are a progressive black metal troupe from the Normandy region of France. It began life in 1993 as a solo project of mainstay Vindsval, it has evolved over the decades to incorporate industrial and avantgarde elements.
This album comprises the second part of a trilogy, which I daresay that Vindsval will eventually spin this sound off into its own universe much as the “777” trilogy did with Yerusalem, and that “Memoria Vetusta” seemingly went with Forhist. As a sequel, it seems to be deconstructing some of the architecture that last years “Disharmonium: Undreamable Abysses” sought to put around the trippy sonics of 2019s “Hallucinogen”. It’s certainly less organic sounding than its predecessor, indeed audibly it’s closer to the unfathomable quasi-industrial soundscapes of 2003s landmark release “The Work That Transforms God”.
Befitting of an album that boasts three instrumental interludes prefixed as “Hideous Dream Opus”, the cover art alone is sufficient nightmare fuel before we even reach for the play button, illustrating five ominous, faceless otherworldly figures consisting of tattered organic matter. It’s rather impossible to pick out individual songs as this album is instead quite cinematic in scope, a rare beast of an album that despite clear breaks, the tracks flow seamlessly. Picking out themes though, it’s evident that “Mental Paralysis” does what it says on the tin, trapping the listener in a repetitive, hypnotic riff which represents a metaphorical spiralling into madness.
There are brief periods of lucidity and melody in tracks such as “The Endless Multitude” and “Nameless Rites”, but for the most part this album is malicious and unsettling in its nature. The discordance is more discordant, the unintelligible vocals are even more murky, and it’s all underpinned with a growling bestial bass tone.
Bleaker than its (slightly) older brother, with less chanting from the underworld and more disorientating soundscapes, “Disharmonium: Nahab” is best consumed in a dark room for full effect. Whilst the mainstream black metal community continue to cosplay at themes of horror, Blut Aus Nord once more quietly produce something dark and threatening which plunges the listener into despair. A wonderfully terrifying audio experience.
(8/10 Doogz)
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