It’d be a grave injustice to talk about French black metal and not mention Blut Aus Nord. As soon as Vindsval put out a juggernaut of a debut album in Ultima Thulee, Blut Aus Nord firmly established themselves as a band that treads their own ground. Incorporating a more industrial approach as opposed to the pronounced folkish/pagan sound prevalent in Ultima Thulee, they released Memoria Vetusta I a year later and did not disappoint. The ensuing experimental phase saw them peak with The Work Which Transforms God – an album where the signature Blut Aus Nord sound was processed through a cold, mechanical filter creating a uniquely hellish atmosphere previously unknown to black metal. 2007’s Odinist was largely unnoticed but it was another consistent addition to their credit. Anyhow, I’ll stop boring you with the history lesson and get to the imperative matter at hand: Blut Aus Nord are back with an emphatic bang. 

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. Blut Aus Nord have always been a riff oriented black metal band as opposed to the build-on-a-single-motif type of band (though they have dabbled with the latter art form as well – Procession Of The Dead Clowns being a great case in point). 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.

Deviating from their previous output, Blut Aus Nord bring an unheralded epicness to their sound not unlike how Emperor did with In The Nightside Eclipse. 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. The album demands an hour of your time and I assure you that it is time well spent. In my books, this is a sure-shot forerunner for album of the year.



Label - Candlelight Records
Year of Release - 2009