Register Forgot login?

© 2002-2024
Encyclopaedia Metallum

Privacy Policy

Nazxul > Black Seed > Reviews
Nazxul - Black Seed

Successors of old EMPEROR - 98%

peterott, December 27th, 2005

This is by far one of the best Black Metal releases ever. It follows directly "Into The Nightside Eclipse" release of EMPEROR. For those who think that the "Anthems..." release of EMPEROR is too technical or lacking the old great atmosphere then "Black Seed" of Australian NAZXUL is the answer. Especially the fantastic guitars and keyboards should satisfy any disappointed EMPEROR fellow.

Vow Of Vengeance - It starts off with a nice choir, then turning into a slow paced Black Metal song. The first thing one easily recognises is the great sound. Very good production indeed. Incredibly awesome keyboards throughout the whole song, as well as this haunting choir from the intro is mixed in the background of the whole song. What a killer effect. This track was pressed on a sampler CD by German Rock Hard magazine on their Underground series featuring the best unsigned bands worldwide. 10/10

Black Seeds Sown - Hell yeah, now we are blasting through the boundaries of hell. From start to finish this is an orgy of fast and extreme Black Metal. Again the guitar riffs dominate the songs but the keyboards in the background never get buried. Also the vocals now shine through the wall of sound and fit perfectly for an aggressive Black Metal vocal style. The only negative point is the moody break in the middle of the song. The abyss could have opened wider, so to speak. 9/10

Apostasies Legions Arise, XUL! - More blasting and the EMPEROR reminiscences get more and more obvious. Majestic keyboard melodies, blasting drums, awesome guitar work and breath-taking breaks (here they fit totally). P.E.R.F.E.C.T. 10/10

Under The Sign Of Lifes Living End - That song would be the highlight on the "In The Nightside Eclipse", directly between "Inno A Satana" and "I Am The Black Wizards". Again a 10/10. The guitar melodies are just genius. They have the spirit of the early 90es Black Metal movement with a strong Norwegian feel to them.

To conclude, 39/40 is a valid 98/100 deal and I know that this is an undiscovered jewel by the majority of Black Metal worshippers worldwide. After NAZXUL lost their deal with Vampire Rec. (the label went down the drain) they had to release this MCD on their own, only with the help of Shock Rec. and also the 2nd pressing of this MCD (featuring 2 live bonus tx) was done by the band themselves. For every fan of old EMPEROR this is especially recommended.

Symphonic workings of unparalleled intensity - 100%

controlled_bleeding, September 5th, 2005

Few bands have ever managed to single handedly swoop down on me and rip my soul apart as much as Nazxul. Having delivered a scathing attack on 'Totem', they suddenly erupted with a deeply symphonic and majestic release that only accelerated the vicious pace of the band.

'Vow of Vengeance' erupts with majestic, grand and powerful symphonic workings, like a whole cathedral blasting with choirs over slow cascading drum work, slowly rippling guitars and hideously dark vocals. Reminding me of a section in the Anne Rice novels, involving an ancient castle that held a whole court of Vampires, who sung infernal yet beautiful blasphemic anthems, in the same way Nazxul move beyond the standard instrumental barrage and turn to the more calculated attempts to destroy.

‘Black Seed Sown’ uses the scathing speed of Antaeus or Marduk even, but with a deeper black/death foundation of speed and crushing brutality, and underlying dark melodies as used by Sort Vokter and Ildjarn. The melodies are often obscure and only deep rumblings under the guitar wash in most songs, but this album also uses proper orchestrations very well. ‘Black Seed Sown’ uses a deep pipe organ like in Graveland’s ‘In the Glare of Burning Churches’ or on Sort Vokter’s ‘Folkloric Necro Metal’, but the overall effect of deeply malicious black metal is beyond these comparisons.

The song then ends off with a disturbing instrumental piece, featuring a few more technics then I would expect the band to get into, but what can I say, this is a powerfully agile band, moving from symphonic orchestral creations into deeply destructive speed breaks and into cathartic atmospheric pieces to reflect on.

The next two tracks are played live, and both the quality and the intensity are unparalleled once again. Powerful and dark music is what Nazxul create, and a deep conviction can be felt in the music. It has been a long time since I have found a band this serious about their art and message, created with a flaming sword! Apostasies Legions Arise, Xul!