The latest release from the incredibly curious Enemies List is another peculiar outing, this time from Nahvalr—dubbed "the world's first open-sourced black metal project". The "band" is driven by Dan Barrett and Tim Macuga, the core duo from Have a Nice Life, and "...aims to create the densest, most visceral sounds possible by combining the input of a dozen collaborators, all working individually, in a coherent and intuitive way. In other words: Several people, operating anonymously around the globe, have their work hacked, chopped, distorted, fused, and recorded over to create something altogether new." The result is actually a very Wrnlrd-esque excursion into the most abstract fringes of "black metal" throughout eight lengthy tracks in more than an hour's time—generally playing out more like an experimental noise album given its penchant for burying textures underneath washes of distortion and reverb. From samples, rhythmic loops, and mangled ambient hums to the occasional appearances of more tangible percussive textures or distant, snarled vocals, the bulk of the material does indeed feel somewhat improvisational and unstructured (at least with regard to thinking in terms of "songs", and the types of characteristics generally anticipated from music associated with the "black metal" tag). However, there are rare instances where elements seem to blend into discernible "riffs", to varying degrees of ambiance or abrasiveness, many of which come towards the latter portion of the album, with "The Witch Box" boasting the most overall potential in terms of creating a literal fusion of abstracted black metal and sinister, droning undercurrents of ambient melody. The disc is housed in an excellently decorated digipack with a 12-page booklet that follows a similar aesthetic—all with a satin finish—and the handwritten "lyrics" (the delivery is so misshapen it's impossible to decipher whether or not the provided content is actually what's being projected amidst the compositions) provide a nice touch:
High up in the ocean's air, the enemies of philosophy count themselves awake, and cough sad numbers made for the earth, and I don't understand a single thing because my life is meaningless and everything I know is bullshit.
I've honestly lost most interest in experimental noise over the last three years, but this is another peculiar yet incredibly interesting release for Enemies List that certainly holds my attention, so I'll absolutely continue to look forward to the label's future efforts. Very nicely done...
Nahvalr "The Witch Box" (excerpt)
Nahvalr "Blood Flood"
Comments
That is one sweet album cover.
10.15.2008 | By David Snusgrop @ Metal Bastard
Seconded on the cover. These sound like black metal songs run through a distortion plug-in. But they sound pretty good nonetheless.
10.15.2008 | By Invisible Oranges
Odd how you never hear that kind of criticism outside of noise/ambstract music. “This Darkthrone nonsense sounds like guitars run through a distorted amp.” In cases like this, the means justify the end. Sometimes you have more fun listening to this music without trying to quantify its components.
10.15.2008 | By James
This sounds like it took more effort to make than just using a plug-in. It does have a collage element to it but thats not a bad thing. Very interesting idea, and the results arent predictable, which is always good. Thanks for the post.
10.15.2008 | By Marcus Garvey