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The Black Planet

BLUT AUS NORD – “Deus Salutis Meae”

João Correia 05/11/2017 Comments Off on BLUT AUS NORD – “Deus Salutis Meae”
 

Little can be said about Blut Aus Nord other than fascinating. The 23 year-stretch has proved to be a rather prolific career spanning 12 full-length albums and a handful of EP’s drenched in experimentation and a fuck-all trademark attitude since it’s very beginning. Unsurprisingly, “Deus Salutis Meae” treads the same path: it’s an album that’s oblivious to fandom, to trends and to regularity, even if this time the French sadly present a watered-down version of what the band once was and that is so well represented in classic like “Ultima Thulée” or “Memoria Vetusta I: Fathers of the Icy Age”, their undeniable tour de force.

Notwithstanding, little seems to have changed in terms of the band’s sound – take for instance the opening intro “δημιουργός”, which represents so well BaN’s classic ambient but also spooky feeling, followed by “Chorea Macchabeorum”, a sullen, depressive and industrial-heavy tune that shows that Blut Aus Nord still have what it takes. Next comes “Impius”, which turns down the rhythm with its slow-paced signature only to make way for “γνῶσις”, yet another sinister interlude that spawns “Apostasis”, a pile of spiteful and pungent black metal riffs and drumming and one of the record’s most aggressive tracks. Next comes “Abisme” and a (yet again) classic doom pace intertwined with chants and moaning from time to time. Right up next comes “Revelatio”, a track that shows Blut Aus Nord loaded for bear and that storms the black metal shores once more.

Shortly speaking, the album’s structure is the typical Blut Aus Nord release, but what makes the new record a notch weaker than the band’s overall discography is the less experimental approach in detriment of a more structured and (so to say) easy to grasp sound. The overall arrangements are nicely done, and it’s very pleasant to hear more guitar work than ever, especially when wrapped in a production that is second to none, but “Deus Salutis Meae” lacks the boldness and the avantgarde ballsiness of past records, this time opting for a more “easy listening” record. It’s still a very good record – honestly speaking, the complexity and creativity in this record is well worth the wait. If only Blut Aus Nord would have kept that raw and uncompromising sound of old. Good. Just not amazing.

7 / 10 

About BLUT AUS NORD:

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Review by João Correia
Managing Editor: Rita Limede

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