Nabaath
Central-A-Triangle
Noisr Productions 2011
This
force of razor-sharp Russian black metal is both deadly and relentless.
From the outset of the album's opener, Blastbirth Of The
Universe, you get a taste of the determined onslaught of speed and
cutting riffs. During the second slower passage Nabaath
alternates between cold near-melodies and chugging riffs before once
again exploding. War Blasphemy unleashes a salvo of apocalyptic
riffs that race past you like incoming artillery. The vocals
slice through the song like a rusty scalpel. Melodic guitar lines
pierce the stillness of the midtempo segments. Taking a similar
structure but a different execution is Black Ancient Forces. The
main riff has a buried melody that utterly rapes your ears as the drums
constantly hammer away at inhuman velocity. At points listening
to this album I hear elements of Marduk and Dark Funeral without being
a clone of either. A slow, creeping riff replete with sinister
chimes drifts out of your speakers on Nabat (Over The Ladoga Mist).
The instrumental fades into the darkness with an ominous bass
line. The Center picks right back up with a furiously paced set
of riffs and interesting structures that lurch and sway until a violent
display of quick hitting guitars. However, the song then drops
into a set of catchy melodies which later morph into flayed guitar
passages. Forlorn leads draw the song to a close but these are
swallowed by Tyrant's Reborn which immediately swoops in with intense
sections that flow with a wild coldness, similar in essence to the
northern tundra. At the 2:45 mark an almost mechanical drum beat
grabs my attention and it is wiped away by some killer guitar theatrics
and flowing melodies. The final track deviates from the overall
style but not the feel of the album by utilizing a plodding doom beat
and riffs for the majority of its length. There are however
moments of frenzied black metal but they are somewhat scattered before
the freezingly slow periods. Nabaath's sophomore album is black metal
to its core. Razor-sharp riffs and unrelenting bursts of hyper
speed and aggression set a totalitarian mood for the album's length.
Kneel before these Russian conquerors.