Blut Aus Nord

The normally frenzied, atonal, abysmally black aesthetic of Blut Aus Nord's "typical" material is already on the verge of unclassifiable. With the second instalment of the 777 Trilogy, lone member Vindsval has once again reinvented his already complex, challenging creation. Grounding the majority of the output in the Godflesh-like use of slow-paced, programmed drums he used to frightening effect on MoRT, the mastermind has brought a vast new assortment of effects into play. Take "Epitome X" and "Epitome XII," for example: choral-like vocals, set against a crawling tempo, strangled screams and crashing guitar drones, sound like a warning of the coming of some great and terrible Lovecraftian creature ― something that exists beyond good and evil. In keeping with that feeling of otherworldly vastness, the album's spiritual undertones are on display with great thematic emphasis throughout. However, like all Blut Aus Nord releases, the meaning is deeply mired somewhere beneath the dark surface.