Nigredo/Flesh Torn - Spirit Pierced/Transcending Obscurity Records/2018 CD Review

  Nigredo  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  an  occult  form  of  black  metal  with  elements  of  thrash  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  Flesh  Torn  -  Spirit Pierced"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Transcending  Obscurity  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into a   very  fast  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  along  with  some  elements of  thrash  as  well  as  the  vocals  being  mostly  angry  black  metal  screams  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  melody.

  A  great  amount  of  80's  and  90's  influences  can  be  heard  in  the  bands  musical  style  but  done  with  a  more  modern  touch  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  death  metal  growls  as  the  album  progresses,  guitar  leads  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  the  music  always  remains  very  heavy.

  Nigredo  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  raw  and  traditional  while  also  mixing  in  elements  of  death  and  thrash  metal  to  create  a  very  heavy  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  Death  and  Darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Nigredo  are a  very  great  sounding  occult  black  metal  band  with  elements  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Choronzon  Possession"  "Saturnian  Death  Cult"  and  "Raging  Tides  Of  Time".  8  out of  10.

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Nigredo Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?

Nigredo were created in early 2013 by me (A.- guitars, bass, vocals) and Maelstrom (drums) in order to realize our own personal visions of black metal. In February 2015 our first mini album entitled “Facets Of Death” was released by Odium Records.

2.Recently you have released a mini album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

At the time the tracks of the mini album were being composed my constant aim was to always achieve the perfect balance between the straightforward black metal riffing and the most sinister dissonances I could come up with. The final result is riff driven black metal with many diverse moments, from very thrashy to very atmospheric and everything in between. Maelstrom’s contribution to how the album sounds is huge since he has a very distinct drumming style, extremely hard hitting and a very wide arsenal of drum beats and fills, and he’s also playing an important role in shaping the structures of the tracks. I must also mention the contribution of 210 Studios (Berlin) whose mix and master highlights and brings to the foreground the large amount of information our music contains.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

I’m the sole lyricist in the band and I take my personal approach to some, not so unusual in black metal, topics. As the title of the album implies, the idea and the aesthetics of death are very prevalent in Nigredo lyrics. The murderer archetype, Cain, the ritual of infants immolation and the concept of death as a return to a state where all potentials arise from are some of the subjects covered.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Nigredo'?

Nigredo refers to a process of the alchemical Magnum Opus that expresses putrefaction and decomposition. Saturn rules over Nigredo and from my point of view he corresponds to negativity, death and the principle of aggressive disintegration-destruction. The above concepts and thus the name complement the band’s musical and lyrical direction.

6.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you chose to remain a duo?

Probably one more person will be added to the line up, for live shows at least.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?

So far, most people’s first impressions of our music are positive. It’s too early though to comment on the general feedback.

9.The mini album was released on Odium Records, are you happy with the support they have given you so far?


The release turned out really good looking and Odium Records is doing a good job with the promotion of the album considering it’s our debut release so yes, I’m satisfied with our collaboration so far




10.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

We are already working on a lot of new material for our first full length album. Expect more aggressive, more dramatic, more dissonant and more straightforward music, we are pushing our style in every direction.

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Pretty much everything we listen to can be considered an influence and we both listen to many different stuff. Drummer Maelstrom listens to a lot more hardcore punk and classic heavy metal than me, for example, while we find a lot of common ground in black and death metal. But if I had to name a few bands that really helped shape our style I would say probably Deathspell Omega and Mayhem.
The last few months I have been obsessed with Negative plane and affiliated acts (Funereal Presence, Occultation, Ominous Ressurection) and I have been listening to a lot of classic Greek black metal like early Rotting Christ, Varathron and Necromantia.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
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Nigredo/Facets of Death/Odium Records/2015 EP Review

  Nigredo  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  extreme  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  mini  album  "Facets  Of  Death"  which  was  released  by  Odium  Records.

  A  very  dark,  raw  and  fast  black  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  grim  screams  and  the  music  also  incorporates  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  a  small  amount  of  angry  shouts  along  with  a  good  use  of  distorted  melodies  and  the  music  also  brings  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

 Most  of  the  music  on  this  recording  shows  more  of  a  modern  yet  true  style  of  black  metal  that  still  evokes  a  very  dark  atmosphere  as  well  as  staying  away  from  any  soft  parts  to  create  more  of  a  negative  and  hateful  emotion  and  the  screams  can  also  be  very  high  pitched  at  times  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  music  starts  adding  in  more  old  school  style  black  metal  riffs.

  Nigredo  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  fast,  raw  and  extreme  while  also  having  a  very  hateful  and  misanthropic  atmosphere,  the  production  sounds  very  dark,  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent, negative  dark  and  misanthropic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Nigredo  are  a  very  great  sounding  fast,  raw  and  extreme  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Visions  Form  The  Sepulcher"  and  "The  Wandering  Exile".  8  out  of  10.  

http://youtu.be/U3YgFHmDzQ8> http://youtu.be/U3YgFHmDzQ8