I've really
been struggling to make up my mind if I like this album by French
industrial/black metal avantgardist outfit Blut Aus Nord. As you can see
from the rating, I landed somewhere in between good and bad, but mostly inclined
to the good side.
First of, bands like Blut Aus Nord are necessary in the metal genre. We need to
be challenged. That doesn't mean that all challenging music is good - on the
contrary. Much of the socalled avantgarde is challenging in a contrived manner,
and that is something I can rarely bear listening to. Then you have the bands
that are challenging their surroundings by simply being offensive to the ears -
i.e. noisy. Like Neurosis. Whom I'm definitely not a fan of.
Blut Aus Nord create a universe of their own; it's a cold, grim place where
little hope of happiness is present. Darkness abounds in this atmosphere of
howling guitars and occasional screams. If you're feeling a bit over-the-top one
day, this will most certainly get you down, don't worry!
On the one hand, '777 Sect(s)' holds a cold, noisy beauty that cannot but ewoke
feelings of despair in the sensitive soul that lays ear to this. On the other
hand, the album is with its 45 minutes perhaps dragging the misery tad too far
for my liking.
It's definitely an approved work of art, but it's not one that will be rotating
in the car on the way to work every morning, that's for sure.
