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.