The Wind of Orion

If you are familiar with the harsh bloody-minded atmospheres of Sadistik Exekution or the grim obscurity of Nazxul then you should have some idea of what to expect with Rev. Kriss Hades' first solo endeavour (Sadistik Exekution / Nazxul guitarist), however I am sure you wouldnt have expected 'The Wind Of Orion' to open with semi-acoustic guitars and samples of howling winds. This intro sounds very peaceful until this wind builds and builds in intensity progressing into the journey through black ambience that is 'The Wind Of Orion' and the superb opener 'Winds Over Orion / Pyramids Of War And The Destruction Of Enemies'. You can feel the tension rising. After the acoustic guitars die down you hear feedback fading in and then it hits like a firestorm of demonic fury. Vomits and screams are heard over dense keyboards, solid constant blastbeats which are more in the background then you would expect and very speedy guitar which is also blurred in the mix. There are some interestng guitar solos and percussion sounds heard plus sweeping synths and black ambient clangs. This would probably be one of my favourite tracks off this album and the second solo Rev. Kriss Hades offering is rumoured to be more focussed along this line which, if correct, looks up to be an incredibly fine release. This intro is only a teaser for some of the grim and tortured atmospheres coming up and lets you prepare and brace yourself for the coming onlslaught of the senses.

The next two songs are re-workings of the Sadistik Exekution songs 'Blakk Mass Murder' and 'Final Exekution' (originally found on Sadistik Exekution's album 'Fukk') respectively dubbed as the 'Satanic version' and the 'Ouija version'. 'Black Mass Murder (Satanic version)' is remarkably more solid and eerie than the original with some odd re-arrangements in all areas yet maintains Sadistik Exekution's uncompromising brutality and power. The guitars seem all over the place here yet after a number of listens you become more accustomed to this unique style. What diehard Sadistik Exekution freaks will think of these new ideas and mixes I have no idea, especially when it comes to 'Final Execution (Ouija version)' which has been totally reworked into a fully ambient song. The guitars have been slowed down to a deathly cold pace and kept in the background as no more than distant chugs, the drums are reduced to distant regular clangs in true Cold Meat Industry style, the vocals are purely demonic whispers and chants and there are some hypnotic eerie synths over the top. This then speeds up slightly and the percussion begins to emerge further forward into the front of the mix. This is a sound that is definatey not metal, even in the slightest, yet holds such a dense atmosphere and feel that you can feel it engulfing around you like a deathly fog becoming thicker and colder. With the momentum of a speeding train this song speeds up and speeds up until the end when all you can hear is fast bangs and voices which gets even faster and faster until the storm ends after almost fourteen minutes.

The unexpected sounds of lightning fast, distinctly fuzzy guitars can be heard next with the track 'Luciferion'. There are two distinct guitars, one playing simple chord progressions reminiscent of Moonblood and the other simply playing Steve Vai-esque fretboard wankery. This is simple yet very effective. 'Meditation Of The Midnight Candle Practice' has some more deathly ambient atmospheres similar to that of Abruptum minus vocals. This track is a journey through loops, feedback, reverb, odd sounds and more. Think Abruptum mixed with the soundtrack to the original 1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie or some of Pink Floyd's incredibly psychedelic works. This album now closes with 'The Burial', an aptly titled expedition into doomy organs with a very b-grade feel to the way it has been produced. Complimenting the atmosphere of this album perfectly is the amazing artwork done by hand by Rev Kriss Hades himself. Images depicting the horsemen of the apocalypse and twisted mutilations of angels and demons done in an effective black and white shading style, there is no denying that Rev. Kriss Hades is a true artist in both drawing and with the music he puts to disc.

'The Wind Of Orion' is an interesting album that definatey holds longevity due to the fact that each time you listen to it you pick up something new. Although strictly speaking most of this album is not metal (especially towards the second half) there are still enough hints to see that a metalhead stands behind this, and enough hints to see that he comes from a band as depraved and gory as Sadistik Exekution. To anybody already into black ambient acts such as recent Abruptum or the similar atmspheres of Ordo Equilibrio and anything else on the Cold Meat Industry record label, mixed with the psychedelia of the 1970's then you should immensely enjoy Rev. Kriss Hades' solo masterpiece. To more diehard metalheads give this a try but be warned, this CD contains atmospheres and mindfucks more sinister and menacing that can ever be created in metal. If Ordo Equilibrio dropped their monotone chants and added an old-school metal feel to their sound and adopted some eerie Abruptum-esque effects then they would sound somewhat like Rev. Kriss Hades. An impressive solo album and I am left waiting for more offerings from this unique sinister mind.

Artist: Rev. Kriss Hades
Album Title: The Wind of Orion
Label: Decius

This is the first full-length solo release from Rev. Kriss Hades, a member of Sadistik Exekution and Nazxul, among others.

I haven't heard this level of sick, insane ritualistic Black Metal since Nastrond's "Age of Fire", and this album blows that one away completely. Rev. Kriss Hades perverts the standards of modern musical composition, and then proceeds to spit upon the assumptions and cliches of Black Metal itself, creating something of fierce originality.

I have never heard anything quite like this. It's as if Nazxul and Sadistik Exekution were involved in a violent, head-on collision with Einsturzende Neubauten, mid-career Pink Floyd, and early Beherit. In the aftermath rises an album that alternates between cold, repetitive sounds and aggressive violence, taking both styles to their logical extremes.

The vocals here are some of the vilest emissions ever to be recorded, yet they are used quite sparingly, allowing the music to stand on its own. The result is a chaotic mass of raw guitar and synth that drowns the listener in sound, achieving a hypnotic effect. These songs seem to go on forever, but certainly not in a bad way, as one will hear something new with each listen.

If this is the future of Black Metal - which it may very well be - then the genre's most glorious age may be yet to come. "The Wind of Orion" is required listening for any who seek the essence of darkness in music.

Standout tracks: "Winds Over Orion/Pyramids of Mars and Destruction of Enemies", "Black Mass Murder", "The Final Execution".

Review by Vorfeed: http://www.vorfeed.net