Blut Aus Nord/ÆVANGELIST "Codex Obscura Nomina"

I think we can safely call BANs input on this split, not black metal.  Instead we have more dark beats and relentless noise atmospherics than the average Industrial fan can wave a shitty stick at. The title of their part of the split gives it away too "Spectral Subsonic Waves (The Sound Is An Organic Matter)" This isn't a bad thing either.  If there is one group/artist that are on top of their game when it comes to some unsettling articulations of sound then it is BAN.  If you like anything they did with "MoRT" or "Thematic Emanation of Archetypal Multiplicity" then you are onto an absolute winner here.

There is a sense for me that things are getting a little too accessible at times, "Infra-Voices Ensemble" being a particular stretch too far with it's almost rave-like beat and plonk that is not sufficiently mired or obscured by the atmosphere and raspy vocals over the top.

Onto the Ævangelist track "Threshold of the Miraculous" - which at 21+ minutes is a mini EP in itself really - and let me start by saying it is quite a combo to have these two experimental artists on one opus.  Ævangelist are more dark in comparison to BAN, stylistically at least.  Having fell out with the band on their "Omen Ex Simulacra" release I was pleased to find their return to form with "Writhes In Murk" made me smile a lot more.  I am aware of other releases since then but have unfortunately had no time to sample them. The DM influence is obvious throughout the track, that murky yet horribly coherent style of DM that crawls over you like a horde of spiders.

The balance that Ævangelist manage to achieve on this track of atmosphere, pace and intensity is very cleverly maintained with spoken word links between passages of deliciously horrible vocals and oppressive riffs.  As output from the band goes this is probably one of my favourite things of theirs I have ever heard.

You could be forgiven for fearing the track would become tedious or lack memorability over it's lengthy duration, however the changes in pace and tempo are subtle enough as to make them almost effortless.  You'll be in the middle of a section and notice harrowing screeches that weren't there before or echoing chants faintly in the background.  When they go full blown DM they fucking go FULL BLOWN DM an all!

Most splits I find clash quite violently,  however on here these two bands manage to achieve a sort of unholy harmony that compliment each other perfectly.  It works as purchase for the established fans of either artist or as a good intro for newcomers to the sounds of either also.

4/5

The Link
DMP666

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