Blut aus Nord - 777 Sect(s)

2011; 6 tracks

These 6 tracks by French black metal band Blut aus Nord have the chaotic feel of Deathspell Omega's latest with the plodding & obvious help of a drum machine, striking of Justin Broadrick. This album is very enjoyable to listen to... once. The instrumentation and overall "evil" atmosphere is not quite what it was in Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue with the Stars, which is one of my favorite black metal albums ever. 777 Sect(s) is still a worthwhile listen, (the 2nd and 6th tracks are pretty fantastic), so go ahead and find out what it's all about.

Download.

Dornenreich - Hexenwind

2005; 5 tracks

I consider this, Dornenreich's 4th full-length album, the band's atmopheric/neofolk masterpiece. It is not "folk" in the way In Luft Geritzt is, nor is it black metal in the sense that Nicht um zu Sterben most definitely is. Dornenreich's sound has transformed and built upon itself yet again in a very exquisite manner, creating a breathlessly atmospheric album that is not confined to any one genre of music.

From the very beginning of the first track, "Von der Quelle," a mood is set for the entire 5 tracks that very truly adheres to the magnificent cover artwork. Interchanging neofolk acoustic melodies and artful black metal riffs create a landscape of misty Austrian hillsides and the foggy heights of mountains, not to mention the piercing voice of Eviga hissing and whispering and screaming and chanting all through the haze. Each track explores further the extent of this band's talent, which truly knows no bounds. The closer, "Zu Träumen Wecke Sich, Wer Kann," is probably my favorite Dornenreich track. It is one of their most beautiful, surely, but the atmosphere is so incredibly dark and so bitterly ethereal that it has made me cry (lame? maybe).

In Eviga's own words, "music is proof for the invisible world, the spiritual world. Air is invisible, but music can move the individual on a very sensual level. It’s also very important because the arrangement of time within music is really the language and being of the human soul which is travelling within music, and artistic expression in general, but especially within music" (source here). Despite being a fantastic band, Dornenreich proves itself time and time again that they really -get- music and understand the various effects it has on the listeners, creators, and those just passing through... This intimacy with the instruments and pure notes in the air is a very appealing aspect of Dornenreich's music, one that touches me deeply. Eviga's voice is wonderfully dynamic and intense, as if he is the only man in the world, singing from the depths of his soul.

To truly experience Dornenreich, I implore you to give Hexenwind a listen.

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Circle of Ouroborus - Tree of Knowledge

2009; 8 tracks

Fuck. Yes.

I think Tree of Knowledge is wonderfully atmospheric and beautiful, if you disagree fuck you -.-

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Urfaust / Circle of Ouroborus - Auerauege Raa Verduistering

2006; 10 tracks

Urfaust and Circle of Ouroborus are both truly individual and fantastic acts on the black metal scene. Urfaust is a Dutch black metal band that tends toward the avant-garde at times, providing full symphonic tracks in their releases and playing a unique style of black metal.. that with almost entirely clean vocals. Circle of Ouroborus is a Finnish black metal band that reminds me a lot of Nuit Noire, although they are very different, as they are heavily influenced by the post-punk band Joy Division. Their sound is also highly individual and unique - clean vocals, lo-fi production, and sometimes completely acoustic tracks. It is gorgeous, though, and this split provides the best of both worlds.


Urfaust:
1. Verächtung Wird Einen Messertragenden Schatten
2. Der Halbtoten Dichters Schein-Existenz
3. Zur Winter-Wanderschaft Verflucht
4. Dämmert, Gelähmt und Mit Scheinbar Erloschenem Geist
Circle of Ouroborus:
5. Dream of Death
6. Mouldering Leaves
7. Dimicatio
8. Eyes of the Flames
9. Congregation of Sorrow
10. In the Forest of the Horned God


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Blut Aus Nord - The Work Which Transforms God

2003; 12 tracks (51:40)

A must hear infinite times album. Listen in the dark for best results.

777

Dornenreich - Durch Den Traum

2006; 8 tracks

This, my friends, was the first album I'd ever heard that was even remotely close to the genre "black metal." It was my first encounter with the German band Dornenreich, and my first true experience with music. By that, I mean that it really took me somewhere. The title Durch Den Traum, or "Journey Through a Dream," was just that - a journey. Nothing in Dornenreich's discography sounds like this, for these 8 chilling tracks of darkness are unlike anything I've ever heard before. This album is incredible. The majority of it is soft, whispered, and at times frantic - the instruments seemingly wound to their fullest potential and mournfully wailing achingly heartbroken sounds. There are parts to the album, however, that are absolutely mindnumbing in intensity and passion. Dornenreich's atmospheric and mysterious style of black metal is what I find the most appealing.

The second half of the second track (around 4:15) is absolutely one of the most amazing transitional parts of any piece of music I've ever heard (even more so than Jesu's "Ruined")!

"It is very hard, maybe even impossible, for one to properly understand the experience that is Durch Den Traum without having listened to it first hand. The band plays atmospheric black metal but in a way that is unique only to them. Their combination of soft, distorted chords; folky breaks and dissonant, heavier sections are arranged in such a way as to create something that has a lot of the same ingredients as other releases but sounds nothing like any of them. The atmosphere on here can be best described as dreamlike. The calm spoken words section quickly giving way to the more nightmarish shouted parts (and I do say shouted as there are almost none of the traditional black metal shrieks). So come experience something unique in a genre where you thought you had heard it all."

Are you asleep?
Am I awake?
Are we a dream?
The world and I?

Clair Cassis - Clair Cassis

2010; 7 tracks

Two of the members of Clair Cassis are also in Velvet Cacoon, if that is of any interest. This album reminded me a lot of Sleeping Peonies' debut, Rose Curl, Sea Swirl. It had the similar Victorian, sleepy and ornate style of black metal that is so very interesting. The vocals here might take some getting used to, but there aren't any really boring songs here. In an interview, a member of the band called Clair Cassis the "pop version" of Velvet Cacoon. "Luxurious black metal, inspired by drugs and fine perfume..." (wtf?)

Download (Not my link)

Blut aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue with the Stars

2009; 9 tracks

Blut aus Nord is a black metal band from France, formed in 1994. This is their 7th full-length, and it is beautifully atmospheric. In terms of "black metal," this is definitely a breath of fresh air.

"Memoria Vetusta II: A Dialogue With The Stars is a magnificently produced album with justice being done to every aspect of the music, especially the riff. The riffs themselves are plenty in number and come in all shapes and sizes which swing through diverse moods and tempos. Lots of ideas are flirted with including a variety of acoustic/clean guitars parts, keyboard-heavy atmospheric melodic passages, menacing thrash-inclined chug based riffs, dissonant hanging chords and spaced out psychedelic solos along with other oddities. Doesn’t sound like the black metal you know? Don’t jump too far ahead for the core of the album is made of unsympathetic, blast-beat driven, tremolo picked riffs consisting of odd meters and an unhinged notion of darkness.

A characteristic sense of twisted melody is prevalent throughout, serving as the backbone of the album – a distinctive skill achieved by very few bands (I’m looking at you Summoning and Septic Flesh). Many purists may believe that the term ‘melodic black metal’ is a perfect example of an oxymoron. But I urge all of them to listen to Memoria Vetusta II: A Dialogue With The Stars and truly experience what ‘melodic’ black metal is all about."

Download.