ALBUM REVIEW: Blut Aus Nord – Disharmonium – Undreamable Abysses

French psychedelic Black Metal experimentalists BLUT AUS NORD are back with their new Lovecraftian opus. Out via Debemur Morti Productions on May 20th.

Only a short moment of ambience warns us before Blut Aus Nord drop us into the unique and profoundly disturbing guitars, warping and bending around metallic cymbals, a sound that crawls beneath the skin. Though malicious and volatile, there is a beauty in these opening moments of dissonant spasming that cocoons the mind with a warm bass timbre before hauling away and senses of security or predictability. An estranged meeting between the meditative and the destructive is offered as cosmic terrors begin to show tendrils of sonic celestial artistry, before tides of panic and dysphoria wash over the soul. Convulsive melodious and rhythmic currents further that feeling of oceanic movement which ties into the Lovecraft-inspired aesthetic and theme of the record, drawing us into the great deep before propelling us into the unknown furthest reaches. The albums predecessor “Hallucinogen” had these moments of beautifully tranquil guitars that seized the body in an orgasmic and ecstatic sense of splendour before punishing such joy with unease, this methodical blend has carried over, aided hugely by the percussion and bass work which counteract the guitar so harmoniously to give a full and rich body to the sound, which itself is carried by a very natural production.

Venturing further into the abyssal display, the albums contorting soundscapes move very fluidly and while some jarring moments are present to send the mind into shock, the progressions themselves are not only unearthly, but truly inhuman. The way in which Blut Aus Nord craft music cannot be mimicked nor should it be. Drawing such unusual sounds from their instruments, these apparitions flow forth from the darkness in indescribable form, taking the musics psychedelic nature into unchartered territories that drown the listener into psychotomimetic states of ecstasy, terror, wonder. Blissfully extraordinary emotions and visions occur throughout this album which injects panic and animalistic curiosity so effectively into every single piece of music. From floating clouds of dreamy, colourful expanses to submerging the mind in sulphuric tides of chaos, this is a strange beast of a record. It is not an easy listen, but it is an engrossing one.

“That Cannot Be Dreamed” was the first single that was heard from this opus and an amazing choice it was indeed. Perfectly conveying in a single piece (as best one can such a complex artist) the merging of beauty with sounds that are genuinely terrifying, I suppose this song is the closest feeling I have had to when people first heard “The War Of The Worlds” and believed it to be a real event unfolding. While this song does not overshadow the rest, it is an integral part in this cosmic tapestry and truly one of the most unhinged, cerebral pieces by the band to date. Preceded by the equally anxiety inducing “Neptune’s Eye”, the middle section of the album is a peak of heightened alarm and thus conscious, swathed in the ebbing waters of the infinite. Betwixt the horrors lie gaping chasms of unease but also vast fields of sonic pleasures and delights that become intoxicating, an addiction one will chase across this musical entities discography. These moments of the pristine swathed in discordance are like nothing else, even other works by Blut Aus Nord. All I can recommend is ingesting the potent concoction for yourself.

The musicianship itself is truly sublime and the sheer oddities that this band construct is something they have become among the most renowned musical entities for. Invoking all of these different energies and impulses may perhaps seem an effort that would lead to juxtaposition and disjointedness but everything feeling full of intent (even if in a rather confusing manner, of which we would not expect anything less). The ending warps into an lethargic crawl, as if the narrative centre has discarded the victim (listener) to drag themselves back to consciousness whilst trying to make sense of what they have endured. In terms of songwriting execution, it is pure genius. Dreamers will awaken, and the risen shall dream once more, the cycle is infinite and thus this record can be played infinite times in infinite scenarios with infinite outcomes.

Dance in the rays of resplendent celestial light before enshrouding the eyes with utter darkness, the outer ones will present themselves to the worthy. Blut Aus Nord have crafted another masterpiece. Dread, terror, rapture, euphoria will fight for control on this venture through frightful and beautiful worlds, though it will likely yield different experiences for all, it must be experienced.

“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” -HP Lovecraft