“Epitome II” from 777 Sect(s)

With their sound bouncing and reverberating all over the place in the last few years, it’s hard to determine where Blut Aus Nord is taking their unique approach to black metal next. Maybe that’s a by-product of the genre dying out, or at least changing scope. Bands that take it seriously are often led down the path of mockery to the original intent of a cold and essentially compressed, low-fi genre. Gone are the compressed vocals and distorted sounds and now all that remains are the few lone acts who consistently nail down the feel by using their own experimentation with cross-genres. That’s where Blut Aus Nord’s new album, 777 Sect(s) comes into play. It’s clearly black metal but it’s a redefinition of said genre.

777 Sect(s) may just be the most significant black metal release in years. Its cold and cavernous feel creates the same depressed and compressed sound made popular by the early Norwegian acts. From their 2009 release, Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue… and into their more recent EP, What Once Was… Liber I, the French band effortlessly turn the dials of the apocalypse with one finger. Each track is entitled “Epitome” and they range from 1-6 offering a solid 45-minute experience.

Check out the rest of this review at the Mishka Bloglin!