NAZGHOR REVIEW
NAZGHOR - A WORLD ABLAZE
Therein lies the desire of a soul,to take the hands and press them close to the breast, where nails sink deep, opening the chest to let that which plagues the spirit detonate. For within the core of man, a myriad of sermons, hissing into the ear with tongues adorned in the vitriol of hate, can engulf the soul in its own lake of fire, where the only reprieve of salvation comes from self-immolation. But if one were to harness the incendiary essence that sears the flesh, to let the tongue be scorched by its gospel, and through its motion of language surrender oneself unto it, an ineffable experience is birthed,for now, that which once infested the soul becomes the very energy through which tranquility is attained.
“A World Ablaze” by Nazghor is an album that becomes the essence which ripens the core of man’s flesh-bound prison, allowing that which seeks reprieve to rupture and pulsate in ecstasy. Drawing upon the melodic forces of Black Metal, where, tone-wise, it sounds like an homage to certain ’90s entities such as Unanimated and Sacramentum, Nazghor instead uses these harmonious transmissions to construct a fuse, linking soul to art, where each note burns closer to detonating the consciousness. The beauty of the art emerges in its balance, which weaves entrancing melodies into an imprecatory essence made into sound.
Vehemence becomes the spirit that permeates through the atmosphere, fostered by the strings, which expel a metallic and scabrous tone where every note etched by the guitars is felt by the senses. The demeanor adopted in their sound is further unveiled through the production, for an equilibrium is rendered unto the sound, where it ceases to be purely polished, yet remains balanced in the areas where its rawness can be accentuated.
However, even though the culmination of these attributes harkens back in sound to the ’90s era of Black Metal, such as Naglfar and Necrophobic, its shape never appears as merely a tribute in tone and energy. Rather, Nazghor utilizes this essence of undulating melodies to map out the pulsating fever that tears asunder the consciousness, for the way the riffs swell and erupt feels as though the body is convulsing, writhing from within as the sensation teems, and that which was once an ember’s stream transfigures into an inferno’s torrent.
“Day of Sepulchral” is a testament wherein the energy of the strings possesses an innate aura, as every melody conjured feels as though it comes from the soul’s own torment, transmuted into sound, where even the fragility of emotions becomes the melancholic element that the melodies adopt. But let it be known, the true zenith of Nazghor’s magick arrives in its ability naught to construct merely melodies that lead into a crescendo, but melodies that entrance the mind, to where you wish to follow and trace their path, to mimic their rhythmic swagger and, in turn, allow them to coil around you.“Within Crimson Kingdom” showcases this, whereby the strings’ movements take their time to build their moment, where precision is introduced into their melodic flow, and the climax feels earned.
Tracing the contours of the strings in a similar motion, yet adding its own blend of melody through reverberation, comes the percussion. The drumming here becomes the foundation that supports the guitars, adding a contrast to the melodious side with its barrage of pummeling beats. A temperament is exhibited wherein the drumming oscillates between a striking rhythmic pulse and one that shades the guitars, interchanging between a primitive, concussive force and a nuanced, melodic beat, showing a duality with the strings’ own harmonious cadence.
“Cursed and Unblessed” is a track that demonstrates this fluctuating candor of the drums, whereby the variance of each beat feels emotive, as though it echoes the rupturing artery of the mind, as that which festers within it rips through the gaping wound of sanity.A dissonant transmission is constructed by the strings and percussion through the production, where both elements are rendered differently in their tones. The production drapes the unification of these energies, where the drumming is shaded by the jagged resonance of the guitars, in turn allowing the music to inhabit an incandescent spirit, as heard on “Bathe in Ashes.”.
When the tempestuous fires that burn from the hearth within man devour the soul and snuff the tongue of human speech, that which replaces it becomes the flicker of a flame that burns a new language unto the consciousness, from whence arcanum flows from a scorched mouth. So too does the essence of the vocals encompass this virulence. Ripping forth in a timbre resembling a bark, the vocals’ energy feels as though every word spouted possesses the inertia to repel that which is pious, deconsecrating the holy.
Casting an umbral shade upon the atmosphere, the vocals exhibit a confrontational energy in their emanation, where the cadence feels physical in nature. “A Once Starless Path” is a track that demonstrates this, where the production reshapes the vocals, exposing their crude-like textures and, in turn, making them rather palpable upon the senses. However, the pinnacle of the vocals’ prowess comes forth in their synergy with the guitars and drums, wherein a dominant force emerges that communes with the energies of the strings and percussion, in turn crafting a cohesive dialogue amongst these elements. “The Infallible God” becomes the perfect track to encapsulate this, as each instrument conducts itself with a different form of ferocity, yet they accentuate one another, culminating in the vocals sounding anthemic in nature.
The soul may perform clandestine acts to conceal its true essence, the nature that transmutes anger into the hymn of tyranny, so it cauterizes that which bears such fruit and casts it into the pyres of the mind’s abyss. Nazghor becomes the belligerent force that coerces the mind to surrender not just a fragment of oneself unto the fires, but to let the whole body become anointed in its splendor, for the spirit that emerges from their lake pledges its consciousness towards the inverse of that where light is absent.
9/10
