Blut Aus Nord - 777 Sect(s) [Debemur Morti Productions - 2011]The first of a proposed trilogy of releases on Debemur Morti Productions marks Blut Aus Nord’s eighth full length album to date. Always a difficult beast to pin down, Blut Aus Nord have been honing their avant-garde style of black metal for close to 17 years now and with 777 sect(s) they have produced what is arguably their strongest and most rounded piece of work to date. Bleak and claustrophobic black metal with a very pronounced industrial sheen over the whole proceedings, Blut Aus Nord go straight in for the kill with the first ‘Epitome’ on the album. A huge wall of blast beats accompanies founding member Vindsval’s vocals and twisted disjointed guitar rhythms, creating a rich and almost disorientating sonic tapestry in the mind’s eye of the listener. The industrial/dark ambient outro heralds the heaviosity of the second epitome and the tempo is dropped in favour of huge majestic doom laden guitar and lumbering drum beats to create a sound which throws a nod in the direction of early Godflesh and Red Harvest.
Epitome 3 drops you right back into the fray, waking you from your almost hypnotic state and bringing you right back to reality, before slowing the pace once again for Epitome 4 , which is my personal favourite track on the album. Clocking in at a hefty 11:52, Epitome 4 sends you on a dark but very beautiful journey…dissonant guitar riffs, nightmarish vocals and cold, industrial drum patterns all combine to hold you absolutely spellbound for its entirety.
Taking the best parts of their previous releases and combining them to create a truly stunning piece of work, 777 sect(s) has set the bench mark for the next two releases in this series and confidently stamps their mark as one of the true pioneers of experimental black metal. I for one cannot wait to hear where they go from here Todd Robinson
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