Resonance - Nazghor - Misotheist
- Sparky
- Mar 4
- 2 min read
Nazghor - A World Ablaze 9/10
Drawing its inspiration from the great Uppsala fire of 1702, is A World Ablaze from Swedish stalwarts Nazghor. Their eighth album is a display of utter conviction and discipline that is pure black metal artistry at its most sophisticated and ferocious.
From the grandeur of “A Once Starless Oath” and its descent into savagery and excellent pure metal double kick work. Its main riffs are transformative over its lengthy seven minutes that capture both waves of black metal plus that of the traditional metal with its energy. The double kick excellence continues with Baptized in blood, and it’s almost post metal tremolo riffing, rousing and inescapable the final minute pure headbanging glory! Bathe In Ashes is another example of pure metal aggression, its main riff hypnotic and instantly memorable, the understanding of what makes a track purely metal is without question and the musicianship is in places stunning, again that middle riff with its rousing crescendo stolen form the blackened metal gods themselves, the piano surprising amongst all the epic greatness. Cursed and Unblessed is simply more epic Black majesty that captures the essence of Nazghor, cinematic in scope and steadfast in its delivery. Day Of Sepulchural contains an unhinged vocal performance and moments of blistering speed amongst its multilayered attack, its respites are brief and a foreshadowing of the aggression to come, its attack on organized religion scathing and relentless
Blessed with a thousand memorable metal riffs this pure old school black metal with its melody that only enhances an utterly aggressive and energetic listening experience. A World Ablaze burns brightly with its energy and traditional power from the mid-tempo to the blistering with is unbridled assault on the senses, Nazghor represents the personification of Scandinavian black metal excellence. Highly recommended
Misotheist – De Pinte 8.5/10
Hailing from Trondheim Norway the collective known as Misotheist (‘The Tormented’) return with their fourth grand opus of blackened darkness, the bleak and uncompromising De Pinte
Violent, epic and atmospheric, from the opening salvo of ‘Unanswered Thrice’, this is four tracks clocking in at expansive forty-one minutes of mayhem and black metal at its most enthralling. It is both raw and dissonant upfront and subtle. Dynamic the atmospheres reek of the inevitable ‘’ Blinded and revealed” has a visceral tension amongst its intense repetitive discordant riffing. The vocals reek of anger and contempt, harsh and accusatory in its delivery against a percussive back drop that is full of demanding times changes and tempo. There is melody to be found amongst the chaos buried amongst the uncompromising textures and predatory undertones. Kjetterdom haunts with its slower riff and inexorable build, its intensity lies in its spareness and its almost doom like passages, a true understanding to the undeniable power that is second wave black metal
Compelling, aggressive and uncompromising in both vision and scope De Pinte is a demanding hypnotic listen that rewards with its musically demanding passages. It is a raging storm that reflects the band’s growth and touched by moments of greatness it is undeniably Misotheist’s greatest offering.
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