Ελληνικά
Last Updated on 06:02 PM by Lilliana Tseka
Genre: Black Metal
Country: Greece
Label: Odium Records
Year: 2015
It was a lovely April’s morning; I was drinking my cup of strongly black coffee and at the same time I was searching every corner of YouTube’s dark side. All of a sudden, I stumble across a band called Nigredo. Skies turned to black and rain poured hatred on us all. Obviously, everything is connected. So, I decided to take a chance and dive into the band’s inmost details and answer the questions that rapidly popped up; who, when, why, how, where? Nigredo as a matter of fact, is a band coming from Athens, Greece, consisting of Alex, ex-vocalist of Exarsis (yes, it’s the same guy, people, hold it together) on guitars, bass and vocals and John Votsis (Maelstom) on drums, who is widely known for being a member in a long list of bands, such as Ravencult, Thou Art Lord, Dodsferd, Cross Denied, Dephosphorus, End, Mentally Defiled and others.
Now, let’s elaborate on “Facets of Death”. It’s Athenians’ first release; excellent nonetheless. Almost 20 minutes of cataclysmic sounds and loads of brutality, spreading a veil of darkness everywhere. The tracks (four in total) deliver a blasting black / thrash brutality, as the combination of paranoid, rapid and grim riffs with the excellent work on the drum set, in parallel with that mix of black and scattered thrash elements, blows up your chakras. Vocals shouldn’t be left behind, since are not characterized by a steady, flat execution, but complexity, technicality and dynamic. For example, apart from the traditional blemished screams, filled with burr and hatred, there are screams at certain points that are so crystal clear and full of strength, making you imagine the singer on top of a rock in Sounion violently addressing his thoughts to the moon.
The good thing with this release is that great word was done as far as the production of the album is concerned. Normally, this kind of music requires overcoming yourself in order to be able to make a track sound the way it should sound, both in digital format and in physical form. That’s something they managed to succeed while producing the album, as everything sounds great and that you comprehend what is being played at all times, no matter how chaotic it is. The same thing applies to the production of Ravencult’s “Morbid Blood”, if you wish to compare and contrast.
The track that stands out by far from the rest is “Nihilistic Iniquity”. Clearly “Facets of Death” is a strong candidate for the best releases of the year. I wish for the guys to keep up with what they’re doing and live up to our expectations. Then they’ll surely a bright future lies before them.
5/6
