The Negation
Paths Of Obedience 

Mortis Humanae Productions 2014

French black metal nihilists, The Negation offer up to us their debut album and I feel we must consume it ravenously.  After an intro of haunting bells chiming, an intense blast of buzzing guitars and relentless drums bursts out of my speakers on Red Wrath.  The track slows into a meaty groove that borders on death metal rhythms however these are soon swept aside by eruptions of drums and fierce guitars once again.  Melodic hints surface within the slower segments as the track reaches its middle point.  A, slow, grinding plod of destructive determination set the mood on Erased.  We are then confronted by chilling blasts of demonic ferocity as the song continues.  Arcing rhythms weave intricate patterns of deathly annihilation before exploding into a volcano of drum blasts.  One God sweeps in with disharmonic guitar angles which rise up to greet a speedy, martial beat.  Melodic accents color the latter half of the song for a more atmospheric touch.  Lost For Ever sprays out violent drum lines and flowing riffs for a song that is possessed of merciless, unrelenting movement.  Slow, somber, and brooding perfectly describe the opening section of Last Rites.  The track creeps along with a sinister melodic edge that at times reminds me of Necrophobic's slower periods.  The track picks up pace and delivers lethal slices of guitar and diabolical vocals.  About my only issue here is with the use of a drum machine.  At times it can be a little distracting such as on Heels and the cymbal sections of In Agony.  I will say that The Negation's style is not beholden to any scene style that I can readily discern.  They are more of an amalgam of multiple styles that have been honed into a finely sharpened weapon of black death.  The song writing is varied and the execution is razor sharp.  This is imperialistic black metal at its totalitarian best.