Nåstrond - Muspellz Synir (Debemur Morti Productions, 2008)

 

This is one nasty listen indeed. Although not acquainted with the entire oeuvre of this mysterious duo, I have to say that being introduced to their output is something quite akin to the pant-wetting experience of a fifteen year old listening to Hellhammer for the first time back in the early '80s. Muspellz Synir is a foul teratogenesis spawned from the mind-numbingly textured ambience of Beherit era _Drawing Down the Moon_ and the claustrophobic blackness of early Samael, spewing torrent after torrent of perniciously distorted riffage. The menacing, sense-stupefying Black Funeral-tinged atmosphere is not just repelling to the unaccustomed ear, it's frightfully disorientating for even the most habituated listeners.

Taking this worrying affair even further is the immediate impression that although a subtly aesthetical cognate of the aforementioned bands, Nåstrond have taken the insidiousness of it all and morphed it into something uniquely their own. The out-of-whack drumming, the non-sequitur progressions and the warped production make songs sound as if they're flickering somewhere along the event horizon of a black hole, struggling between audial coherence and utter dissolution into sheer chaotic noise. It's an experience of such soul-draining proportions that I'm wondering whether the individuals behind it released this album as a natural musical continuation of their previous work or as an experiment to define the limits of mental resolution.

If you're still reading this review with eyes peeled and breath abated, then go right ahead and dig into the madness; there's no cure for you (and yours truly, I'm afraid). The rest avoid like that weird, psychotic-looking hobo on the street corner that keeps mumbling to himself when not shouting at the trees.

Contact: http://www.nastrond.se/

(originally written for Chronicles for Chaos - 6/4/2008)

Accurst (interview)

 

This interview with Adon of Accurst was done by e-mail by Grimma in November 2005.

“Accurst is a concept project exploring the nightmares of existence and the horrors of the subconscious.”


Thus spoke Adon; the sole entity behind Accurst’s abject realm. After taken aback by ‘Fragments of a Nightmare’s mind-jarring imagery (Accurst’s only release to date) a mandatory interview ensued with the man behind the beast. Enjoy…

First of all, could you please give a brief chronicle of Accurst's history?
 
Melmoth and I were working on a similar project back in 1998 but a clash of interests forced us to disband, which had as a result Melmoth moving on creating Holocaust Machine and myself creating Accurst in 1999.

A few sound experiments were carried through in the following years although no demo was ‘compiled’; only a few scattered remnants of an idea in the making.

In 2002, I shot a short film entitled Ghost in the Mirror, and that’s what helped me realize how Accurst should sound, ‘feel’, and ‘look’.

Accurst slowly started taking form as an experimental project soon thereafter, and by the debut in 2003 it had taken its own path.

Your first album 'Fragments of a Nightmare' was imbued with a mesmerizing sense of desolation and fear, a truly harrowing experience indeed. Was this the prime intent of the album or did you aim for a wider range of induced sentiments?
 
With 'Fragments…' I attempted delving into the subconscious and bringing forth images that may gnaw on one’s sense of security. Even though the Surrealists’ automatic writing process is nigh impossible to translate into the slow process of sound creation, a certain state of trance helped in simulating such an effect; meaning that the tracks in Fragments… came mostly from a collaboration between the conscious and the subconscious, and therefore making the attempt, I would assume, to connect to the listener’s subconscious slightly easier.

I am not implying that this is not a personal piece of work. On the contrary, it was an extremely personal journey at the time of creation; demons I managed to partly exorcise upon the completion of said album.

As a direct answer to your question, my intentions were to express certain feelings and images that were ‘tormenting’ my psyche at that specific point in time.

Dark Ambient can be regarded as a fertile ground for entrancing creations of obscure soundscapes and sound experimentation. Do you see Accurst as a dark ambient project per se, pertaining to a certain musical framework or simply as a means to express a certain facet of your artistic creativity which can expand into other areas as well?
 
Although Accurst’s foot is planted firmly in Ambient music, subsequent works will incorporate other musical styles as well in order to being closer in expressing each album’s concept behind the music.

Whether it is even with the debut release, considered as an Ambient project or not, does not directly concern me.

In relation to the previous question do you see Accurst as part of any sort of musical scene?
 
Would that sort of assumption help in anything other than how the album is marketed? Having said that, it is up to the label releasing any of the works brought forth to categorize and advertise said work however they see fit.

Although influences on such a musically intangible genre as dark ambient remain on a subtle level, I have to say that there is tinge of Aghast's ritualistic ambience on the more minimalistic and brooding parts of 'Fragments'. Would you care to cite any other 'influences'?
 
Even though I appreciate the work of Aghast, Lustmord, Caul, I Burn, Amon, and other artists of said genre immensely, I cannot say that the main influence is any of such projects.

Accurst’s main influences are the images coming from my subconscious (and therefore, as some would argue, from everything I’ve ever experienced), and various sounds one hears throughout any given day. The coincidence of a variety of sounds working in unison often produces a peculiar sense of satisfaction for one reason or another. A keen ear, and a sharp mind’s eye is all that is needed in order to ‘gather’ such sounds and attempt to reproduce them (sometimes with slight variations) in a piece of work.

If I had to be more specific, I’d name Goya as one of Accurst’s most vivid influences.

Can a listener be gratified in a cathartic sense after listening to your work? In other words, do you see Accurst as something of an audio jigsaw puzzle comprising of many sound elements simply aiming to project a grey-hued image of perdition or do you see it as more of a music-trip passing through various soundscapes before the listener can attain that certain Accurst feel of Horror as you describe it?
 
I cannot speak for the few people who’ve experienced the work. I am aware of the fact that some people have been unable to ‘piece together’ the sounds in any given track off Fragments, and coined it simply as noise. It would be a romantic misconception thinking that it would produce the same effect in everyone.

I personally consider it as a journey with a beginning, a middle, and an end. The part about the jigsaw puzzle can be found in the tracks when separated from each other I’d think, but as a whole I don’t consider it as a jigsaw puzzle.

One could argue that Accurst's sound can not be tagged as music per se and that it is more of a coalition of discordant soundscapes clashing with each other in mid-air, petrifying the senses with their audial vibrations. Would you describe Accurst's sound as essentially music in the purist sense of the word?
 
We’ve had a similar discussion (on “What is Music?”) amongst the Sérpéné Héli Music Collective, and needless to say that we never reached an adequate conclusion.

To some it might be music, to others it might appear as noise (as has happened).

But still if we were to confine music to strictly as any means of expression then Accurst’s sound can be definitely categorized as such. On the other hand if music is something that pertains to a predefined song structure paved on a coherent rhythm then we can henceforth dismiss drone, ambient and even some of Schoenberg’s serialist compositions as mere noise. Would you say that music as such, even though subjective to its interpretation, can attain its certain musical stature simply when undergoing a thorough mental processing or does it necessarily have to be expressed always within conventional musical concepts?
 
I wouldn’t be quick in generalizing to that extent. There has to be a division between sound, noise, and music. We could end up with a dogmatic phrase like “all music is sound, all noise is sound, therefore music is noise, and vice versa” which could hold a grain of truth considering taste, culture, experience, and other factors.

Having said that, I am still none the wiser as to “What is Music”. If music’s aim is to connect directly to the psyche without the use of symbols and representation as in say, Painting or Poetry, then the generalization that “anything that achieves that can be called music” can be made, albeit with caution. On the other hand, that would rule out music which uses words to accentuate meaning, which would rule out music which uses words in the “opposite direction” the music is moving in to give a different meaning altogether. Since conventional musical concepts change all the time, and as the years go by we try to compose simpler and even minimal music, the same question arises, “What is Music?” And since music has taken various forms and obeyed a variety of “rules” over time, what makes noise not being music?

Onwards to your second album which you are currently working on. How exactly does it differentiate both musically and thematically from the first album?
 
I would rather not comment directly on it yet. I will only say that it will be slightly more complex, more saturated, and will carry even more pictures for the mind’s eye than the debut.

If the debut was more of a “compilation” of various styles expressing one specific state of mind, the follow-up builds on that by taking various points and sculpting them into something more easily identifiable.

Accurst will follow a three-album cycle as mentioned on your website. Could you elaborate more on the central themes underlying each album and how exactly they interconnect with each other?
 
The first album is supposed to represent the Primal Stage of humanity, or the first conscious years of an individual; the aural embodiment (if that oxymoron is possible) of the anxiety, the constant doubting, and the incessant fear gnawing at our psyche.

The second album is supposed to represent the Cerebral Stage of humanity, or the development stage of an individual, using the same theme as in the first album yet placed in a more ratiocinative and intelligent context.

Finally, the third album which is to be recorded in the near future, is supposed to represent the Modern, and consequently the Post-modern Stage of humanity, or the apogee, subsequently the decline of, and finally the deterioration of an individual; using the same theme as in the first album yet placed in a more structural, mechanistic, and philosophical context.

You describe the third album as being in a more "structural, mechanistic, and philosophical context". By "mechanistic" do you mean that the album will attain a more impersonal outcome straying far from the first one’s primal intimacy or is it something else?
 
Taking under consideration that the third album will incorporate a post-modern style infused into a Wundtian type of structural psychology in conjunction to anthropic mechanism, I would assume that it would be far from impersonal. It would rather be more intense than the previous two albums, and maybe even incoherent to some.

It will be an attempt to ‘destroy’ the second album’s more cerebral approach (sound-wise), and therefore closing the circle.

How exactly would you describe this thematic circle as you portray it?
 
Bearing in mind that the first album is somewhat ‘crude’ in its form as it has been described above, with the second album being more ‘mature’ on the surface, and maybe even, dare I say, delicate in the way it portrays the subject, as if it has evolved into something more complex; the third album will be tearing apart any progress made as in using the knowledge one has acquired through such a journey in reverse therefore returning to another ‘primal stage’ yet in a more cerebral and at the same time ironic style.

Obviously, Accurst is a one-man project but are you considering any 'guest' appearances on any future releases?
 
It’s not an idea I rule out, so the answer to this is a simple maybe.

Coming from a musically stagnant scene such as the Cypriot one, something as obscure as dark ambient will certainly raise an eyebrow or two. Was there a significant response from the Cypriot audience?
 
Taking under consideration that this kind of work is not conventional music, and how Cyprus is mainly a Lilliputian conservative society, it would come as a surprise if there were any sort of response from the Cypriot audience.

What exactly is the Serpene Heli Collective that Accurst seem to be in direct relation to?
 
The collective is an organization of people who support and promote unsigned bands (including our own).

We have been active since roughly about 1999, and even though we started as a music organization (and seem to be limited only to that on the internet), we have plans of expanding in the future to something which embraces other forms of artistic expression as well.

Ok I guess this pretty much wraps it up, Adon. All the best to Accurst; the last words belong to you.
 
If interested please visit our website at this address http://www.serpenehelimusic.com/ for more information on the Sérpéné Héli Music Collective, or http://www.serpenehelimusic.com/accurst/ for more information on Accurst.

Thank you. 

(originally written for Tartarean Desire)

Grey - The First Shade Of... (Avantgarde Music, 2005)

 

This French one-man outfit manages to achieve pretty much what the band’s name suggests: there’s nothing really cheerful, optimistic or overly ‘white’ about its sound but then again it doesn’t throw you head first into the Abyss; instead it leaves you in the murkiness and dankness of its audial limbo state. Although not really popular within the nowadays over-saturated Black Metal scene, Grey are not the first of their ilk. Numerous acts such as Xasthur, Leviathan, Nortt and Forgotten Tomb have managed to produce their own good share of suicide-inducing black metal with a doomish vibe. The constituent materials are pretty much simple: take the minimalistic and dissonant elements of good ol’ black and blur them with the hazy and brooding ambience of doom’s most depressing acts. The result is what you might call Black/Doom tracing its roots back to the atmospheric desolation of Burzum’s early and mid catalogue and Darkthrone’s caliginous imagery. Nine tracks are contained within Grey’s debut, all of which comprise of doomesque musical interlayers ardently wrapped around their more than conspicuous black metal backbone. So as you might’ve guessed don’t expect your blast beat, tremolo riffing extravaganza; the album’s aim is not to give you a sore neckline but rather to act as an audial accompaniment to a deep contemplative (suicidal even?) reverie. But the album unfortunately falls short in its intended outcome although adept and satisfactory both technically and production-wise. Be it the loathed drum machine (although hardly distinct at times), the unneeded at many a time tempo waverings or the abundant exceedingly stretched musical passages within certain tracks which attenuate the whole effect, when the album hits the finish mark it leaves you craving for more as if shutting the window to its self-created abyss too prematurely. Nonetheless this is an album that although not necessarily standing out of the crowd is an appeasing and worthy effort.

(originally written for Tartarean Desire - 8/8/2005)

Vile - The New Age Of Chaos (Listenable Records, 2005)

Once again, reaching deep into the Florida death metal goodie-bag, Vile have cranked up yet another quality release, with this being their third album, still sustaining their above-par output they’ve pulled off throughout the years. With subtle political references from the lyrical side, this could be seen as a concept album of sorts, unsurprisingly highlighting the brutality of war as seen recently from the whole Iraq conflict. Nevertheless, the music is the important thing here. Although not musically disparate from previous releases, the outfit has successfully managed to add a few more strings to its bow with a number of interesting black metal-inspired tremolo passages (which at times digress considerably although not alarmingly from the album’s death metal hub), a few well-placed Morbid Angelesque melodic solo out-spurts and of course the best production they’ve had yet. Newcomer Gibson (Exodus), does an excellently ear-catching job on the bass lines; whilst Urteaga’s visceral vocal delivery fits the bill just fine. As such, this is not your straight-cut piece of brutal death, since it is an album comprising of both brutality and more thought-out slower paced passages in good measure which give out a distinct musical punch. Unrelenting, yet definitely not elementary in its delivery, this is definitely one of the better death metal releases for 2005.

(originally written for Tartarean Desire - 2005?)

Gojira - From Mars To Sirius (Listenable Records, 2005)

"From Mars to Sirius" is one of those albums that manage to keep the listener in a constant state of anticipation and wonder. It is essentially musicianship in one of its most innovative forms where Gojira manage to juggle a wide range of influences all converging in a fine slab of extreme metal. It’s hard to tag their sound out of this whirlwind of sweeping guitars and smiting rhythms though one can’t help but notice the death metal inspired musical textures (incidentally death metal seems to have had its say in the vast majority of extreme – and not only -- metal albums of the past five years) whilst the breath of the dissonant insanity of Meshuggah seems to permeate intrusively many a time. Their songs move on a multiplicity of musical temperaments, soothing yet not mellow at times and then swerving to swirling sound tunnels of relentless complexity, from spasmodic drum break downs which exuberate into faster tempos paved on abrupt chord changes to intermitting crushing passages of heavy guitar riffing. Being a convoluted album as a whole on many levels Gojira show that they’re not walking on eggshells here; knowing every turn and corner of this labyrinthine creation. Although not technically mind-boggling, the album is perhaps hard to digest by the more fastidious listeners among us but still it may well be one of the most interesting releases of this year. 

(originally written for Tartarean Desire - autumn 2005)

"From Mars to Sirius" is one of those albums that manage to keep the listener in a constant state of anticipation and wonder. It is essentially musicianship in one of its most innovative forms where Gojira manage to juggle a wide range of influences all converging in a fine slab of extreme metal. It’s hard to tag their sound out of this whirlwind of sweeping guitars and smiting rhythms though one can’t help but notice the death metal inspired musical textures (incidentally death metal seems to have had its say in the vast majority of extreme – and not only -- metal albums of the past five years) whilst the breath of the dissonant insanity of Meshuggah seems to permeate intrusively many a time. Their songs move on a multiplicity of musical temperaments, soothing yet not mellow at times and then swerving to swirling sound tunnels of relentless complexity, from spasmodic drum break downs which exuberate into faster tempos paved on abrupt chord changes to intermitting crushing passages of heavy guitar riffing. Being a convoluted album as a whole on many levels Gojira show that they’re not walking on eggshells here; knowing every turn and corner of this labyrinthine creation. Although not technically mind-boggling, the album is perhaps hard to digest by the more fastidious listeners among us but still it may well be one of the most interesting releases of this year. - See more at: http://www.tartareandesire.com/reviews/Gojira/From_Mars_To_Sirius/2901/#sthash.eKOiHm40.dpuf

Decapitated - Organic Hallucinosis (Earache Records, 2006)

It seems that death metal has never exactly been a facile affair; down-tuning your guitar to cloacal lows, having your drummer pummel the double-bass at lightning speeds and a vocalist squealing like a pig is simply not enough to dub you as extreme. With the mighty Death setting the scene of technical death some 15 years ago and Suffocation taking death/grind to a whole new innovative plateau, technical proficiency has been raised to an extremely heightened caliber in this selective niche since then. Such is the case with the Polish death metal powerhouse that is Decapitated. What with their unique technical take on the genre and their un-paralleled instrumental exploitation, they have attained a high profile status in the European death metal scene. Picking up from the same tangent that saw them digressing from their early albums on ‘The Negation’, ‘Organic Hallucinosis’ integrates neck-snapping, high-precision time changes and layered staccato riffing to transform it into one highly convoluted slab of death metal. As the first track comes blasting through, clear and sharp bass lines scaffold around the compositions while a hailstorm of blast-beats rampages through our auditory synapses. Unsurprisingly, their blistering sound turns out to be far from monolithic, never dawdling on one passage or tempo for too long. A new vocalist, namely Covan, has jumped on the Decapitated wagon, replacing Sauron. In comparison, Covan is more reminiscent of that angry, belligerent tone that characterizes a hardcore vocalist rather than a death metal one and unluckily, doesn’t quite fit the ticket in the Decapitated camp. In summation putting all impediments aside, Decapitated’s cold, mechanistic delivery, saturated in weird harmonics and intricate drum-fills, might not do well for fans of their more straight-forward early output but nonetheless it stands well on its own as a quality death metal release.

(originally written for Tartarean Desire - 2006?)

Black Funeral - Az-I-Dahak (Behemoth Productions, 2004)

It's quite intriguing how some artists interpret the aesthetic and feeling of black metal; accumulating it in all its essence, dismantling it and then producing a twisted novel amalgam which at times can be capable of re-defining the whole genre. Take a look at your most typical examples being Marduk, Dark Funeral or Thy Primordial and then compare with some more avant-garde bands such as Arcturus or Vens Buens Ende. The latter have managed (always moving within a black metal frame work) to generate some truly mesmerising soundscapes of black metal imagery. In the case of Black Funeral, although not necessarily re-defining the genre, they have pretty much managed to validate the perennial dictum of black metal and extreme metal in general: "You can always go further". - See more at: http://www.tartareandesire.com/reviews/Black_Funeral/Az-I-Dahak/2813/#sthash.LV2eDl56.dpuf

It's quite intriguing how some artists interpret the aesthetic and feeling of black metal; accumulating it in all its essence, dismantling it and then producing a twisted novel amalgam which at times can be capable of re-defining the whole genre. Take a look at your most typical examples being Marduk, Dark Funeral or Thy Primordial and then compare with some more avant-garde bands such as Arcturus or Vens Buens Ende. The latter have managed (always moving within a black metal frame work) to generate some truly mesmerising soundscapes of black metal imagery. In the case of Black Funeral, although not necessarily re-defining the genre, they have pretty much managed to validate the perennial dictum of black metal and extreme metal in general: "You can always go further". 

The beast that lurks behind this musical entity (Michael Ford aka Drakkheim Abaddon Nachttoter also an occult/chaos magic author) has gained access to his most maleficent nightmares and has presented them in their most raw and mordant audial form. The sound indeed is raw and unprocessed but the sensation emanating through it is far subtler and still omnipresent. The mechanical rhythms followed by the churning bass and distorted guitars give the impression that there is something inhuman at work here beyond what is conceivable, what is understood. There are times where the album trespasses that fine boundary between black metal and ambient noise but that happens non-intentionally almost naturally. Meandering amidst this desolate and cold conception are the tormented, raspy vocals of Nachttoter distorted congruently with the whole warped sound. A truly disturbing album as it is, Az-I-Dahak, possesses in addition a mesmerising atmosphere which can lead the listener to a perpetual trance. This is black metal distorted to its most vile and twisted degree. - See more at: http://www.tartareandesire.com/reviews/Black_Funeral/Az-I-Dahak/2813/#sthash.LV2eDl56.dpuf

The beast that lurks behind this musical entity (Michael Ford aka Drakkheim Abaddon Nachttoter also an occult/chaos magic author) has gained access to his most maleficent nightmares and has presented them in their most raw and mordant audial form. The sound indeed is raw and unprocessed but the sensation emanating through it is far subtler and still omnipresent. The mechanical rhythms followed by the churning bass and distorted guitars give the impression that there is something inhuman at work here beyond what is conceivable, what is understood. There are times where the album trespasses that fine boundary between black metal and ambient noise but that happens non-intentionally almost naturally. Meandering amidst this desolate and cold conception are the tormented, raspy vocals of Nachttoter distorted congruently with the whole warped sound. A truly disturbing album as it is, Az-I-Dahak, possesses in addition a mesmerising atmosphere which can lead the listener to a perpetual trance. This is black metal distorted to its most vile and twisted degree.

(originally written for Tartarean Desire - Summer 2005)

The beast that lurks behind this musical entity (Michael Ford aka Drakkheim Abaddon Nachttoter also an occult/chaos magic author) has gained access to his most maleficent nightmares and has presented them in their most raw and mordant audial form. The sound indeed is raw and unprocessed but the sensation emanating through it is far subtler and still omnipresent. The mechanical rhythms followed by the churning bass and distorted guitars give the impression that there is something inhuman at work here beyond what is conceivable, what is understood. There are times where the album trespasses that fine boundary between black metal and ambient noise but that happens non-intentionally almost naturally. Meandering amidst this desolate and cold conception are the tormented, raspy vocals of Nachttoter distorted congruently with the whole warped sound. A truly disturbing album as it is, Az-I-Dahak, possesses in addition a mesmerising atmosphere which can lead the listener to a perpetual trance. This is black metal distorted to its most vile and twisted degree. - See more at: http://www.tartareandesire.com/reviews/Black_Funeral/Az-I-Dahak/2813/#sthash.LV2eDl56.dp

The beast that lurks behind this musical entity (Michael Ford aka Drakkheim Abaddon Nachttoter also an occult/chaos magic author) has gained access to his most maleficent nightmares and has presented them in their most raw and mordant audial form. The sound indeed is raw and unprocessed but the sensation emanating through it is far subtler and still omnipresent. The mechanical rhythms followed by the churning bass and distorted guitars give the impression that there is something inhuman at work here beyond what is conceivable, what is understood. There are times where the album trespasses that fine boundary between black metal and ambient noise but that happens non-intentionally almost naturally. Meandering amidst this desolate and cold conception are the tormented, raspy vocals of Nachttoter distorted congruently with the whole warped sound. A truly disturbing album as it is, Az-I-Dahak, possesses in addition a mesmerising atmosphere which can lead the listener to a perpetual trance. This is black metal distorted to its most vile and twisted degree. - See more at: http://www.tartareandesire.com/reviews/Black_Funeral/Az-I-Dahak/2813/#sthash.LV2eDl56.dpuf

The beast that lurks behind this musical entity (Michael Ford aka Drakkheim Abaddon Nachttoter also an occult/chaos magic author) has gained access to his most maleficent nightmares and has presented them in their most raw and mordant audial form. The sound indeed is raw and unprocessed but the sensation emanating through it is far subtler and still omnipresent. The mechanical rhythms followed by the churning bass and distorted guitars give the impression that there is something inhuman at work here beyond what is conceivable, what is understood. There are times where the album trespasses that fine boundary between black metal and ambient noise but that happens non-intentionally almost naturally. Meandering amidst this desolate and cold conception are the tormented, raspy vocals of Nachttoter distorted congruently with the whole warped sound. A truly disturbing album as it is, Az-I-Dahak, possesses in addition a mesmerising atmosphere which can lead the listener to a perpetual trance. This is black metal distorted to its most vile and twisted degree. - See more at: http://www.tartareandesire.com/reviews/Black_Funeral/Az-I-Dahak/2813/#sthash.LV2eDl56.dpuf

The beast that lurks behind this musical entity (Michael Ford aka Drakkheim Abaddon Nachttoter also an occult/chaos magic author) has gained access to his most maleficent nightmares and has presented them in their most raw and mordant audial form. The sound indeed is raw and unprocessed but the sensation emanating through it is far subtler and still omnipresent. The mechanical rhythms followed by the churning bass and distorted guitars give the impression that there is something inhuman at work here beyond what is conceivable, what is understood. There are times where the album trespasses that fine boundary between black metal and ambient noise but that happens non-intentionally almost naturally. Meandering amidst this desolate and cold conception are the tormented, raspy vocals of Nachttoter distorted congruently with the whole warped sound. A truly disturbing album as it is, Az-I-Dahak, possesses in addition a mesmerising atmosphere which can lead the listener to a perpetual trance. This is black metal distorted to its most vile and twisted degree. - See more at: http://www.tartareandesire.com/reviews/Black_Funeral/Az-I-Dahak/2813/#sthash.LV2eDl56.dpuf

novel

It's quite intriguing how some artists interpret the aesthetic and feeling of black metal; accumulating it in all its essence, dismantling it and then producing a twisted novel amalgam which at times can be capable of re-defining the whole genre. Take a look at your most typical examples being Marduk, Dark Funeral or Thy Primordial and then compare with some more avant-garde bands such as Arcturus or Vens Buens Ende. The latter have managed (always moving within a black metal frame work) to generate some truly mesmerising soundscapes of black metal imagery. In the case of Black Funeral, although not necessarily re-defining the genre, they have pretty much managed to validate the perennial dictum of black metal and extreme metal in general: "You can always go further". The beast that lurks behind this musical entity (Michael Ford aka Drakkheim Abaddon Nachttoter also an occult/chaos magic author) has gained access to his most maleficent nightmares and has presented them in their most raw and mordant audial form. The sound indeed is raw and unprocessed but the sensation emanating through it is far subtler and still omnipresent. The mechanical rhythms followed by the churning bass and distorted guitars give the impression that there is something inhuman at work here beyond what is conceivable, what is understood. There are times where the album trespasses that fine boundary between black metal and ambient noise but that happens non-intentionally almost naturally. Meandering amidst this desolate and cold conception are the tormented, raspy vocals of Nachttoter distorted congruently with the whole warped sound. A truly disturbing album as it is, Az-I-Dahak, possesses in addition a mesmerising atmosphere which can lead the listener to a perpetual trance. This is black metal distorted to its most vile and twisted degree.
- See more at: http://www.tartareandesire.com/reviews/Black_Funeral/Az-I-Dahak/2813/#sthash.LV2eDl56.dpuf

It's quite intriguing how some artists interpret the aesthetic and feeling of black metal; accumulating it in all its essence, dismantling it and then producing a twisted novel amalgam which at times can be capable of re-defining the whole genre. Take a look at your most typical examples being Marduk, Dark Funeral or Thy Primordial and then compare with some more avant-garde bands such as Arcturus or Vens Buens Ende. The latter have managed (always moving within a black metal frame work) to generate some truly mesmerising soundscapes of black metal imagery. In the case of Black Funeral, although not necessarily re-defining the genre, they have pretty much managed to validate the perennial dictum of black metal and extreme metal in general: "You can always go further". The beast that lurks behind this musical entity (Michael Ford aka Drakkheim Abaddon Nachttoter also an occult/chaos magic author) has gained access to his most maleficent nightmares and has presented them in their most raw and mordant audial form. The sound indeed is raw and unprocessed but the sensation emanating through it is far subtler and still omnipresent. The mechanical rhythms followed by the churning bass and distorted guitars give the impression that there is something inhuman at work here beyond what is conceivable, what is understood. There are times where the album trespasses that fine boundary between black metal and ambient noise but that happens non-intentionally almost naturally. Meandering amidst this desolate and cold conception are the tormented, raspy vocals of Nachttoter distorted congruently with the whole warped sound. A truly disturbing album as it is, Az-I-Dahak, possesses in addition a mesmerising atmosphere which can lead the listener to a perpetual trance. This is black metal distorted to its most vile and twisted degree.
- See more at: http://www.tartareandesire.com/reviews/Black_Funeral/Az-I-Dahak/2813/#sthash.LV2eDl56.dpuf