There may have been a time when French oddballs Blut Aus Nord were considered a black metal band, but that time seems to have passed, and their latest full-length, "Mort" (Candlelight Records), is without a doubt one of the most bizarre creations I've ever encountered within the "metal" realm. Clocking in at nearly 50 minutes broken into chapters "I" through "VIII", the album creates a strange avant-garde brew consisting of endless strings of twistedly discordant guitar lines that clash and weave together over industrial-tinged drum programming, while obscured vocals that rest deep in the mix—either sneered, snarled, or masked by cold, wispy effects—sputter forth on occasion and add to the puzzling mystique of the material. Overlooking the subtle segues between "chapters", things definitely play out like one large composition in terms of overall character and atmosphere. Interestingly enough my ears almost tend to lean towards the drum programming on occasion as well (which I quite enjoy), perhaps as a result of the almost overwhelming dissonance of the guitars (though I have to admit that I'd wholly prefer a more natural sounding guitar tone, as something about the fittingly cold textures of the guitars still suffers just a touch from certain characteristics of the effects, creating qualities I'd associate with a direct line recording—regardless of whether or not that's actually the case). Writing-wise I'd say there's most definitely an experimental and improvisational thread throughout, which is quite curious considering that there is structure to the mangled and brooding pulse of the material. The lyrics are entirely in French, so I can offer little insight there, though there is a quote on the back of the booklet that one would assume is suggestive of the thematic elements of the record, taken from Kenneth V. Lanning's 1989 FBI report on occult crime:
The fact is that far more crime and child abuse has been committed by zealots in the name of God, Jesus, and Mohammed than in the name of Satan. Many people do not like that statement, but few can argue with it.
And I have to say that I really dig the layout here: It's a great match for the overall aesthetic of the disc, and the cover looks fuckin' great.
So make the grab and experience for yourself what is undoubtedly one of the most "What the fuck!?" albums of 2006 and beyond:
Comments
hey Andrew i dont know if you know their Work Which Transform God by i higly recoomend it to you! Its not “black metal” either is something strange, wicked, dark, scary and alltogehter special. I really like. i didnt listen the new album much but some says thta WWTG was better. i dont know….
Whatever WWTG is one of my favorite “black metal” album, although im not much into BM at all.
11.30.2006 | By Rebel without a Cause
That was some straight up Silent Hill status type shit.
11.30.2006 | By Adrianoso
I’ve been curious about this release since I do have “The Work Which Transforms God” and enjoy it quite a bit. Your description makes it sound worth buying, so i’ll give it a shot.
11.30.2006 | By James
I’m a huge fan of this album. Very creepy and ugly. Good to see someone show it some love.
11.30.2006 | By Invisible Oranges
Cool stuff, one of the best non-BM, but still BM bands…
12.1.2006 | By anonymous
i deffinetley recommend listening Work Which Transform God. For me its better than Mort and of course very good. i dont remember any band sounding like this. its shame that some reviewrs dont like them only because they “left behind” fast, typicall BM songs!
12.1.2006 | By Rebel without a Cause