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

  by Andrew Carver

published: 4 / 4 / 2009

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It’s no secret that black metal and black metal-inspired bands like Wolves in the Throne Room are winning hearts and minds among music aficionados outside the scene. Leading the charge are a number of French bands. The interlocking trio of Amesouers, Peste Noir and Alcest has earned raves from connoisseurs like the Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle and more mainstream websites like 'Pitchfork'. Blut Aus Nord is another French band that refuses to hew to whatever passes for a party line in black metal circles. Unlike many of the bands crossing the line into indie popularity, Blus Aus Nord doesn’t take the route from black metal’s infernal buzz to a territory similar to My Bloody Valentine’s. Instead they intersperse their long tracks with large amounts of melody, either in the more upfront guitar sounds or in an ambient background. The group has refined its technique on 'Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue with the Stars', a sequel to 2005’s ‘Memoria Vetusta I: Fathers of the Icy Age’. One of the band’s better efforts, and a step up from ‘Odinist: The Destruction of Reason by Illumination’, clearly shows that they can churn out the rapid-fire blast beats, ultra-distorted guitar and muffled growls as well as their blackened kin. It also demonstrates their willingness to telegraph the other side of their sound with an eerie synth intro. Over 60 minutes and nine tracks (most of them, barring intro and outro fairly lengthy)10 minutes of ‘The Meditant (Dialogue With The Stars)’, they pull back for the interplay of two relative clean guitars, drifting out on a similar theme that segues into the more orthodox black metal sounds at the start of ‘The Alcove of Angels (Vipassano)’, which itself concludes with some fluid lead guitar tones. While Blut Aus Nord have hung onto the generally indecipherable gargling that passes for vocals in their metier, as a whole ‘Dialogue with the Stars’ is an ideal intro to the metal’s increasingly accessible dark underworld.

Track Listing:-

1 Acceptance (Aske)
2 Disciple's Libration (Lost In The Nine Worlds)
3 The Cosmic Echoes Of Non-Matter (Immaterial Voices Of The Fathers)
4 Translucent Body Of Air (Sutta Anapanasati)
5 The Formless Sphere (Beyond The Reason)
6 ...The Meditant (Dialogue With The Stars)
7 The Alcove Of Angels (Vipassana)
8 Antithesis Of The Flesh (...And Then Arises A New Essence)
9 Elevation

Label Links:-

http://www.candlelightrecords.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/candlelightrecords
https://twitter.com/CandlelightREC
https://www.youtube.com/user/candlelightrecs

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