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Nazxul > Totem > Reviews
Nazxul - Totem

NAZXUL: "Totem" - 50%

skaven, January 16th, 2012

If Iconoclast was epic and vivid, Nazxul’s debut album Totem - dating back to 1995 and now getting a re-release treatment by Eisenwald - is quite the opposite: this stuff is truly dark, swampy and reeking of death. No beautiful riffs here, that’s for sure! Omitting the half an hour outro of the original edition, Totem is done justice by getting it released again because the album is considered a classic by some standards - and I understand that to the extent that this surely was among the first Australian black metal albums, but I wouldn’t go so crazy about the actual musical content.

Nazxul sounds both mysterious - thanks to the vocals that shift between low growls and obscure whispers - and murderous. This is heavy indeed, but it is somewhat hindered by the production where the guitar riffs are somewhere in the background and the rather soulless and plastic sounding drums are on top of everything, kind of ruining the material’s potential. This doesn’t apply to every song though as there seems to be some differences between some songs’ productions.

Tempo is usually kept at high, blast beats battering the hell out of everything and guitars delivering their lines of somewhat incoherent murky riffing (all this occasionally reminding me of certain Ross Bay area war metal groups). Throughout the little over 40 minutes, Totem doesn’t much change, but there are some highlights worth mentioning, such as ”Distance Begins” with its palm-muted death metal riffage and a synth breakdown, and the oddly dissonant and melancholic ”Amidst the Flames” where the album’s synths are put to best use. The latter song is absolutely enchanting, making Totem worth buying almost because of that track alone.

In the end, I’m having mixed feelings about Totem. Whereas occasional moments are really good and not a single moment on the album is disturbing in any annoying way, there’s not much that would lure for multiple replays. Perhaps I was once again affected by the hype surrounding this album and hence I’m leaning towards a mere mediocre rating. Definitely an interesting piece of Australian black metal’s history, but not entirely my cup of tea.

2.5 / 5
[ http://www.vehementconjuration.com/ ]

One of the most underrated albums of all time - 97%

LordOfTerror, October 19th, 2009

From the depths of the land down under, shrouded in mystery and shadow, comes Nazxul, one of the most talented and underrated black metal bands ever to exist! Totem is most certainly their masterwork, playing music that is mysterious, occultic, and violent all at once. They manage to create a dark, foreboding atmosphere unlike any other black metal band – of an unnamed vortex crushing your soul, surrounding your mind and tearing it into pieces!

One definite highlight of this album is the inhuman vocals. Somewhere between a whisper and a howl, I would compare Dalibor Backovic's work on this album to that of Attila Csihar's – both vocalists forgo typical black metal shrieks for something much darker. Don't be fooled, though – Backovic sounds almost nothing like Attila, but there is definitely a comparison to be made here. Unfortunately, the only lyrics I can find are those of the title track, which are not quite as amazing as the performance. However, they are still well done, and it doesn't detract from the album at all.

All too often, black metal bands forgo riffs in their music for the static-y sounds of a chainsaw in a blender during a snowstorm. Nazxul, however, craft unique riffs that are at once atmospheric and violent – it is as easy to sit and absorb this album like a dark ambient work as it is to headbang to it like a thrash metal album. This, in my opinion, is the the best of both worlds as far as black metal is concerned, and is what sets this album up among the classics in my book.

Quite simply, this album is up there with any other black metal classic you care to name – whether you prefer the atmosphere of In the Nightside Eclipse, the ambiance of Hvis Lyset Tar Oss, or the blitzkrieg assault of Panzer Divion Marduk, this album is for you!

Fantastic debut... so when's the next one?!? - 89%

GreatExpectorations, May 20th, 2005

Being a Nazxul fan is a thankless task. As at the time of writing, it has been six years since we were first promised a second full-length album from a band that has existed for over a decade. Although much, if not all, of the material for Iconoclast has been written and recorded, its eventual appearance is enshrouded in more mist than the band itself in their promo shoots and occult live performances.

Thus we must still content ourselves with this seminal work, yet Totem displays the maturity of a veteran band. We start with some shorter, aggressive songs, and as the album goes on the tracks develop into more epic pieces with imperial slow parts. Despite being released on a small Sydney label, the CD is well produced - the 11 tracks are beautifully linked, with the outro of each track leading into the intro on the next. Don't assume from this, though, that each track is the same ... while this is true black metal, the song "Hatred" has a bit of a headbanging thrash element, while "Distance Begins" has a much thicker, death metal sound. Dalibor Backovic's vocals are great, mostly quiet growls and whispers that reek of darkness and evil. Quite simply, this is one of those rare black metal albums that achieves a unique atmosphere, like some bizarre occult ritual in a medieval dungeon. Highest recommendations.