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░ ██ ██ Artist: Hexenwald ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Nordland Okkult Mysterium █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2013 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2016-02-07 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Black Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Heerwegen Tod Production ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Reissue ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Deep within the forersts of the frozen North, lie █
█ the secrets of a war-like pagan past and ancient █
█ Germanic devilworship. Through time, artists and █
█ musicians have tried to keep some of those █
█ mysteries and secrets alive through their works. █
█ Although there are many black metal bands in this █
█ day and age that try to capture some of those █
█ themes, many of them fail in the authenticity █
█ department due to lack of knowledge and/or █
█ musicianship. However, this is not the case in █
█ Hexenwald's "Nordland Okkult Mysterium." █
█ On this album, the bloodletting commences and the █
█ gates to pantheons open. "Nordland Okkult █
█ Mysterium is cold German black metal played as it █
█ should be. █
█ The album starts with what seems to be some sort █
█ of a reversed prayer or chant that apruptly gives █
█ birth to the song "Germanic Black Witchery", which █
█ is one the faster tracks on the disc. It almost █
█ seems to pick up where their old demo song █
█ "National Satanisten" left off, only more evolved █
█ and slightly better produced. But, "Nordland █
█ Okkult Mysterium" is a fairly mid-paced album with █
█ only a couple faster songs. Another of them being █
█ "Ich bin die Pest!" ("I am Plague!"), which has █
█ sort of a old Bathory feel to it, with a little █
█ thrashy guitars and violently vocals. The sounds █
█ of "old school" black metal (80s and 90s) come █
█ through quite heavily and in some parts doom █
█ enschrouds the atmosphere. Although many bands now █
█ sound similar, there is something colder and more █
█ obscure about this one. Tales of devilworship, █
█ witchcraft, and battles can heard through raspy, █
█ blood-curdling screams. The album also features a █
█ instrumental accoustic piece called "The Fallen" █
█ in the likes of Dissection yet a little more █
█ primitive, and a simple outro appropriately █
█ entitled "Helheim" that sums up the album █
█ honouring the realm of Death. █
█ "Nordland Okkult Mysterium" is what i call a █
█ classic german black metal album played in a █
█ primitive way. It has more to offer musically █
█ compared to their 2005 demo "National Satanisten", █
█ with the guitars being a little more melodic and █
█ having a few more riffs in the songs. The █
█ production is slightly better and the vocals being █
█ a little more audible yet kept grim and "eerie." █
█ One thing i did not like was that there are no █
█ lyrics inside the booklet, which is made of four █
█ pages. Although the inside sleeve looks very █
█ professional with darkened forests etc., the █
█ lyrics should have been printed for the listener █
█ to fully grasp the concept, since it is a █
█ full-length album. █
█ In summary, "Nordland Okkult Mysterium" is a good █
█ progression from Hexenwald's demo, not too much, █
█ not too little. I personally like bands that █
█ progress gradually but remain true to their █
█ original formula, and i think thats what the album █
█ was intended to do. It definately makes me look █
█ forward to this bands next album. For all of you █
█ "super-critics" out there, this album is probably █
█ not for you, but the ones that have a concept of █
█ real occultism and raw black metal in general this █
█ is a good release...especially since it came out █
█ in 2008, when it sounds like it should have been █
█ out a long time ago. Hail the Cult of Witch! █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ I hate having to abuse that word over and over, █
█ 'solid'. It's a way of saying that somethings good █
█ without being amazing, but without being boring or █
█ average either. I guess it's the same as saying █
█ good, it's well worth buying and recommended, but █
█ if this went missing or was stolen I wouldn't miss █
█ it too terribly. █
█ There are hell of a lot of solid albums in the █
█ world, and that's what I seek out most of the time █
█ really, as geius masterworks tend to reach me █
█ unexpectedly and accidently anyway. This album █
█ seriously defines solid, and I could listen to it █
█ pretty much anytime and it would entertain me. █
█ Hexenwald play traditionally German styled black █
█ metal with something of a doom edge to it. It goes █
█ into some fast territory occasionally, but mostly █
█ favours a slower pace. One of the defining █
█ elements for me are the drums, which are played in █
█ a sort of epic manner, with these cool powerful █
█ drum rolls. I guess that's what makes it sound █
█ German the most. Riffwise we have these slow, █
█ doomy black metal riffs, traditional in sound but █
█ very engaging and often hypnotic, especially in █
█ the longer songs like 'The Severence of Spirit █
█ from Flesh'. The vocals are deep and █
█ distant-sounding - they're pretty perfect for █
█ black metal actually, as when listening to it this █
█ album you don't picture it being played by █
█ 'people' at all. Infact, this album doesn't really █
█ make me think of anything, all I see through my █
█ mental eyes is black, pitch black, and I'm sure █
█ that that's all the band wanted me to see. Just an █
█ empty blanket of darkness. █
█ That's what makes black metal so great, it takes █
█ you away from the regular world to a place where █
█ only blackness exists. That's the feeling this █
█ album produces best, for me. Whether that appeals █
█ to you too only you will know. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Germanic Black Witchery 7:10 ░
░ 2. Dawn of the Bloodstorm 7:26 ░
░ 3. Blutkult 5:08 ░
░ 4. The Severence of Spirit from Flesh 7:26 ░
░ 5. The Fallen 2:07 ░
░ 6. Ich bin die Pest! 4:21 ░
░ 7. Frankonia im Frostnebel 5:10 ░
░ 8. Helheim (Outro) 3:56 ░
░ 9. Satan Lebt! 2:47 ░
░ 10. Enlighten by Night Divine 6:16 ░
░ 11. Sulphur King (feat. Scorpios) 3:28 ░
░ 55:15 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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