This is
the first in a new series that will focus upon reviewing obscure, overlooked
and often forgotten demos from black metals past that may otherwise not get
talked about on this blog.
Tracklist:
1. Eccidium
2. Ante Bellum
This is the 1998 debut release from the now inactive, possibly defunct Italian black metal band Nazgul which was formed of “Thornset” on guitar, bass and vocals, “Zakrathor” on keyboards, samplers, drums and further vocals, and “Dominus Aperorum” providing more vocal work.
The first thing that makes this demo stand out a little more than most is that it somehow manages to at times blend light symphonic and pagan black metal music with extremely harsh depressive screaming vocals and sometimes even death metal vocal styles and chant. The use of keyboards and horns is pronounced along with drum playing that could easily pass as programming, while any kind of riff work is reduced to background static and is almost pointless.
The finest
aspect of this demo is its overall bold and purposeful sound that has a driven
determination to plough straight through the listener and keep going, it
certainly will not be for many people because of the often bizarre style transitions that can happen suddenly and without warning in the middle of a track.
If I had
to compare this demo’s sound to another band it would have to be the 2006 album
La Sanie des siècles - Panégyrique de la
dégénérescence from the French band Peste
Noire, as the two records seem to share a certain affinity in my mind.
 |
| Nazgul |
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