Blut Aus Nord - 777 - The Desanctification

Blut Aus Nord already has two albums in the 777 trilogy under their belt: 777 - Sect(s) and 777 - The Desanctification. The first featured dizzying guitar leads, chromatic riffing, and was interestingly coined the "spiritual sequel to The Work Which Transforms God." I don't know if I agree with that statement since The Work Which Transforms God might be my favorite Blut Aus Nord album, but Sect(s) is certainly worthy of the distinction. I posted a few months back about The Desanctification, and now that it's out, it might just be time to review it.

What an album cover. Kind of has that psychedelic cult, almost mystical vibe to it. It certainly fits the music pretty well. Knowing that this is an "experimental" Blut Aus Nord album (what else would you expect from French black metal?), this album works well as a whole. The Desanctification is naturally a continuation of Sect(s), but with a bit more atmosphere and less flashy leads. Some of the tracks are a bit long-winded and dragging, while others completely envelop you in the sound of primordial chaos.

And if this is the sound of chaos, it sounds oh-so-good. Songs like "Epitome VIII" exemplify this perfectly. There's aggressive drumming, winding riffs, interesting time signatures, and triumphant leads that all meld together over the span of six minutes. "Epitome VIII" is probably the most vocal-intensive track on The Desanctification as well, although the vocals kind of take a back seat to all of the riffing and serve as the atmospheric equivalent of a subtle synth. Not that they're programmed or fake or anything, but they really don't stand out at all. This holds true for the rest of the album as well.

If that doesn't bother you, then you may be in for a treat if you can get over the droning boredom of certain tracks. The opener contains a memorable riff that drags on for a bit too long. That's a recurring complaint throughout all of The Desanctification and one I can't forgive them for. These guys are clearly talented musicians and know how to write some unique material, but beating a riff to death in the name of atmosphere is something that irks me to no end. On another note there's some powerful dissonance on "Epitome X" and some interesting industrial sounds on "Epitome XI," although once again the latter drags a bit. The finale, "Epitome XIII" is probably the best single track on the album and the only one to really rival "Epitome VIII." The track takes all the twisting, winding riffy goodness and combines those traits with atonal chromaticism (a recurring theme for sure, but here it's done so well). It blends all the sounds explored by Blut Aus Nord perfectly. If only the rest of the album were as memorable and less boring.

7.25 out of 10
EDIT: I shouldn't review when I'm so damn tired. So many errors in this one.


Tracklisting:

1. Epitome VII
2. Epitome VII
3. Epitome IX
4. Epitome X
5. Epitome XI
6. Epitome XII
7. Epitome XIII