IXXI was founded in 2006. IXXI means 9/11 in Roman numerals. There were no lyrics added, but I must be very mistaken if terrorism isn't a subject that passes by. The vocals are done by Totalscorn, who is also known as the singer in a band called Zavorash. Acerbus and Nattdal on guitars, Ausky on bass and Sinoher (who has already quit the band) complete the line-up for this record. What perceive this black combo from a lot of their rivals are the vocals. Where most of the bands have vocals with a higher pitched sound, Totalscorn often uses lower and sinister growls/snarls.
Fortunately the songs differ in tempo and have some thrashy elements in them, blast-beats are used as well, but they also have more mid-tempo parts. "Beyond the Rupture" is even a very gloomy and doomy song with atmospheric pieces. "Enthusiasm" is then again a very fast song with blast-beats and very aggressive vocals. The variety in tempo, the atmospheric parts like in the song "A Bitter Lesson", the thrash elements and the grooving grinding riffs in combination with the different vocal styles makes IXXI a welcome addition to the black metal genre.
Although I'm not really into black metal, I found pleasure in listening to them and I think a lot of you will like what they serve too!
