Album Details

• Artist: Blut Aus Nord
• Album: 777: The Desanctification
• Label: Debemer Morti
• Year of Release: 2011
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2011-12-04

Yep, there is enough rage in France for at least one sincere black metal band. Blut Aud Nord are just that band, one which leans heavy on the hypnotic and atmospheric, staying in that center which allows their pendulum to swing from the coldly epic to the noisy sludgy side. "777: The Desanctification" is not only the second in a proposed trilogy, but their second release this year. I haven't heard the first in the trilogy yet, but I'm going to jump out on a limb and say that the finale may find this one hard to top.

Not that there is anything overwhelming about this. Of the seven tracks, titled "Epitome" and numbered VII-XIII, most of them follow the same format: droning chords, a wash of dark atmospherics, lyrics almost completely buried in the mix, and the occasional burst of passion. There are exceptions though. "IX," the shortest track, is also the most somber and stripped down. "X" and "XI" deliver that epic icy feel I mentioned earlier. The final track, though, is the killer. "XIII" is epic and icy, but noisy and abrasive, with a sinister guitar groove midway.

What "777: The Desanctification" is about is anyone's guess. Musically you get the sense that the intent is to be menacing but somehow eternal, and on some tracks, they are. Actually, I shouldn't say "they," because Blut Aus Nord is really one man band/one man named Vindsval. Since his vocals are so buried, he could be singing about anything, but musically, this bites and glides and hides behind its own mystery. Not great, but consistent in vision and occasionally memorable.

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