Blut Aus Nord - Deus Salutis Meæ review
| Band: | Blut Aus Nord |
| Album: | Deus Salutis Meæ |
| Release date: | October 2017 |
01. δημιουργός
02. Chorea Macchabeorum
03. Impius
04. γνῶσις
05. Apostasis
06. Abisme
07. Revelatio
08. ἡσυχασμός
09. Ex Tenebrae Lucis
10. Métanoïa
A new Blut Aus Nord album inevitably raises anticipation high among black metal fans. Why is this, exactly? We all more or less know what the band is going to produce, likely some sort of crazy brand of mechanical, deconstructed industrial black metal (if not the meloblack of a new MV album). Yet over the course of a 20 + year career, one thing that these Frenchy titans have proven is that while keeping a similar aesthetic intact across all their albums, they never really do anything twice. The specific way in which their mindbending, ritualistic black metal is served out varies each time. Deus Salutis Meæ is no exception.
"The god of my understanding." That's what the title of this new album from Blut Aus Nord translates to in English, and considering this title in relation to those of other albums, such as The Work Which Transforms God and The Desanctification, one could assume that here we're dealing with a similar theological, iconoclastic aura, both in sound and in theme. Such an assumption would be correct, for indeed, Deus Salutis Meæ bears considerable similarity to previous efforts such as The Work, the 777 albums, and even some of the Liber EPs. That cold, detached atmosphere of dissonance and microtonal grit is still here here, not for the sake of simply existing but instead guided by a powerful, invisible hand that keeps things leveled and structured while still unraveling many common black metal tropes. Vocals of all types, snarls, chants, otherworldly whispers, are dished out as well, weaving in and out of the vortex of the music. At times it's difficult to say what exactly is new and what is being reused from previous releases here, since everything feels like such a powerful encapsulation of so many things Blut Aus Nord have done previously. Overall one could say that Deus Salutis Meæ comes closest to some of the industrial groove of the 777 albums, while employing some of the darker, more extreme elements from The Work and the Liber series.
And yet, things still feel refreshingly original and as though listeners are being treated to something they haven't yet experienced. Even as it harkens back to former Blut Aus Nord releases, Deus Salutis Meæ also seems to have cranked up the black metal presence considerably more than on previous releases. Roughly since 777 - Sect(s), the band has been playing black metal, but of a sound that felt more oriented to industrial mechanics than to, well, "actual" black metal. This isn't really the case here, as on "Impius" "Ex Tenebrae Lucis," and elsewhere throughout the album, the black metal and industrial elements feel far more balanced out and complementary. Additionally things crawl to a much slower, heavier pace at points as well, resulting in a delivery that makes the music feel like "blackened doom Blut Aus Nord" on occasion (a remarkably cool twist I'd love to see them explore more). And further still, things seem to be a bit more melodious than usual on the rare occasion, such as on "Revalatio." "Melodious" may be an odd descriptor for Blut Aus Nord, but there is nonetheless a powerful feeling at some moments throughout Deus Salutis Meæ of the music having a greater presence of riffs than usual, of a greater number of melodies snaking all around each other, resulting in a sort of grand, cacophonous harmony whose puzzling beauty brings a mouth watering admiration.
With Deus Salutis Meæ Blut Aus Nord are only continuing to cement their reputation for consistency and sonic evolution upon what is already an impressively strong, diverse discography. Here it's the same idea of "similar but different" that has really defined the latest musical ventures from Vindsval and company, in the sense of the band alluding to previous albums while also reshuffling their deck of cards entirely for a brand new game. Very few other bands in the metal spectrum can make the claim that they're committed to redefining themselves and have developed a wholly idiosyncratic sound with as much validity as can Blut Aus Nord. This is a wonderful new addition to the legacy of these French rulebreakers, and an unquestionable highlight for 2017 in the realms of black metal and experimental music in general.
One more week. Either tease yourself with "Apostasis" over here, or wait for the full experience. I definitely recommend the latter.
 | Written on 21.10.2017 by Comforting the disturbed and disturbing the comfortable since 2013. |
Comments
Comments: 29
Visited by: 188 users
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| Apothecary Drone Strike Posts: 5845 From: USA  |
Written by Guest on 21.10.2017 at 16:22 It's a pretty great track on its own, but I can definitely tell you (as one would probably guess), the difference between just listening to it on its own and listening to the full album with the previous four tracks flowing into it is enormous
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| Karlabos Meat and Potatos Posts: 5626 From: Brazil  |
Yeah, let us huh "wait" for the full... 
---- Growing up is the worst. I hope I never do it.
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| Apothecary Drone Strike Posts: 5845 From: USA |
---- Check out Apothecary's Favorite Bands Playlist, brotendo. One track per band.
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| Jaeryd Nihil's Maw Posts: 1062 From: USA  |
Hey, Blut Aus Nord shared your review on Facebook! Excellent review, by the way. Can't wait to hear the full thing myself.
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VIG
Account deleted Written by Karlabos on 21.10.2017 at 21:36 None o' that, please.
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| Apothecary Drone Strike Posts: 5845 From: USA |
Written by Jaeryd on 21.10.2017 at 22:53 One accomplishment to knock off my bucket list 
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| angel. Evil Butterfly Posts: 2419  |
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| Apothecary Drone Strike Posts: 5845 From: USA |
Written by angel. on 27.10.2017 at 11:43 Because it is, Blut Aus Nord's black metal has a huge industrial influence to it. Synonyms 
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| nikarg Posts: 6630 From: Greece  |
Ok, I wanted to listen to it a few times before commenting, because after my first listen I was very disappointed and got bored towards the end. The vocals are indeed otherwordly and the overall atmosphere is really something else, but damn, I have the feeling of repetition way too often. It should have been trimmed and come out as an EP I think. ps. If my restricted Latin knowledge serves me right, I think it means "God of my Salvation" (salutis=genitive of the word salus, which means salvation among other things but understanding isn't one of them).
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| Apothecary Drone Strike Posts: 5845 From: USA |
Written by nikarg on 27.10.2017 at 19:44 Have you really listened to Blut Aus Nord previously? Because repetition is kind of their thing, at least when they're going for a sound more like this
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| nikarg Posts: 6630 From: Greece |
Written by Apothecary on 27.10.2017 at 20:25 Yep, I'm more a fan of the MV albums, but this is irrelevant here of course. I do like The Work a lot, because the song-writing is equally great as the atmosphere, which is not the case in this latest one imo. I mean there is no "Choir of the Dead" or "Procession" or "Frozen Cells" here clearly. I'm not a big fan of MORT and the 777 albums. I haven't heard any of the Liber series or, if I have, I don't remember them. I'll try it a few times more anyway, I always do that with bands I like, but I will definitely leave some time to pass in order to hear it with fresh ears. I can't see it growing on me though...
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| Apothecary Drone Strike Posts: 5845 From: USA |
Written by nikarg on 27.10.2017 at 22:37 Well that seems to be the problem right there, you're going into new Blut Aus Nord searching for old Blut Aus Nord, which is to be found in subtle shades, if you really pay attention and know what to listen for, but the big point to take away from this band is that they never really do anything twice. There aren't any of the tracks you mentioned here because at the end of the day there really aren't meant to be
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| nikarg Posts: 6630 From: Greece |
Written by Apothecary on 28.10.2017 at 06:12 I was talking about the song-writing quality when I mentioned the three tracks, not the style. The sentence they are mentioned is used to prove the point of the one that precedes it. 
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| Daniell _爱情_ Posts: 6025 From: Poland  |
The atmosphere is on a par with their best releases. The songwriting though...
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| Paz Posts: 3876 From: Poland  |
Written by Daniell on 30.10.2017 at 14:52 For the first time I agree with you 
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| mz Posts: 4751  |
Well you can achieve a good atmosphere only through a good songwriting 
---- Giving my ears a rest from music.
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| Apothecary Drone Strike Posts: 5845 From: USA |
Written by mz on 30.10.2017 at 21:19 Exactly 
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| Apothecary Drone Strike Posts: 5845 From: USA |
Written by Guest on 07.11.2017 at 16:04 I'm sorry, but if you go into this looking for anything of the caliber of TWWTG..... "you're gonna have a bad time." I don't understand how people can't seem to fathom that with some bands there are just one off, masterpiece releases that probably aren't going to ever be replicated again. TWWTG for Blut Aus Nord is one of them. You either get over that and find a way to enjoy their newer material, or you just sit and sulk because "oh, it's just not up to par." Well of course it's not up to par, you're asking for the band to recreate an incredibly superb, specific sound in their history. It doesn't just happen with a request and especially not with a band like BAN who aren't really too keen on repeating themselves to begin with. Sorry for the semi rant, but it's just dumb to me. Expecting another TWWTG out of BAN is about as silly as expecting another Si Monumentum from Deathspell Omega, another Maniacal Vale from Esoteric, etc.
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| Apothecary Drone Strike Posts: 5845 From: USA |
Written by Guest on 07.11.2017 at 18:15 That's different, there you're talking about a band striking back with a powerhouse release after a considerably lackluster one. I'm just saying it's rather unrealistic to look at a band's "masterpiece album" (if they have one) and expect subsequent material to reach the same level. You can certainly hope for it, but when it's pretty clear that said album was a monumental, one time only event, you shouldn't go into new albums anticipating Masterpiece 2.0. Kinda sets you up for disappointment
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| Apothecary Drone Strike Posts: 5845 From: USA |
Written by Guest on 08.11.2017 at 03:29 I feel you. Color me a fanboy, but I enjoy everything BAN have done honestly, albeit in different ways. Even the MV albums because they illustrate that, at the end of the day, Vindsval just does whatever the fuck he wants, doesn't pander to fan wishes, and doesn't pigeonhole his composition solely into one approach. All important aspects of an "artist" that I immensely respect
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| Metren Dreadrealm Posts: 1286 From: Estonia  |
Maybe it's just the fact that I haven't listened to anything from BaN for a long time, but I'm loving the shit out of this release. Yet another great album. Very good review too, I agree with every word.
---- My one-man project's Bandcamp with free downloads: https://dreadrealm.bandcamp.com/
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| Daniell _爱情_ Posts: 6025 From: Poland |
I didn't compare this album to TWWTG. I just said that quality-wise it's far from their best work.
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