Grecian black ‘n’ roll juggernauts Nigredo showed up on my radar a few years ago with their EP Facets of Death. Mixing relentlessly fast black metal with thrash and rock elements, I found myself impressed by their knack for writing catchy riffs at light speed and have been excited for more output since. But many a time have I been burned by a band releasing an epic EP only to implode under the pressure of harnessing that energy in LP form. Promises promises, right? Thankfully, Nigredo have crushed my potential disappointment into a fine powder with their uniformly excellent debut full-length record Flesh Torn | Spirit Pierced. There are few things more satisfying than potential fulfilled, and today we are immensely proud to premiere a fantastic track from the record entitled “Saturnian Death Cult”. It’s a ripper.
But, really, how could it NOT be? The two-man band has created so much fantastic music with their other projects (Ravencult for vocalist/guitarist/bassist A. and Dephosphorus and Embrace of Thorns for drummer Maelstrom) that it’s difficult to imagine how anything they create together could be less than exceptional. But Nigredo offers much more sonically than the simple sum of their collective parts. Taking the very best components of themselves as musicians and songwriters and pouring them into Nigredo has lent their debut record a hefty amount of bite. “Saturnian Death Cult” exemplifies their blend of talents perfectly. The guitar races and cuts like so many frozen black metal knives. The riffs (juxtaposed with tremolo stylings) are clear, progress with cohesion and power, and vary in tempo and tone perfectly. Maelstrom’s drum work is without question one of the highlights of the record as a whole, and it shines with particular intensity on this track, vacillating between thrash-oriented bludgeoning and blackened blasting. It’s a full, fast, complete package of black metal extremity, and is an incredibly enjoyable listen from start to finish.
Say what you will about black metal’s continued foray into “impvre” territory, but Nigredo offer a slice of manic aggression that is extremely difficult to not get swept up in. Their debut record is excellent, and this track exemplifies everything the album does right. Look for it on April 15th via Transcending Obscurity Records, and pre-order the beast on the band’s Bandcamp page.