NOX

Ixaxaar

Earache
rating icon 7.5 / 10

Track listing:

01. Choronzonic Chaos Gods
02. Blind Mad God
03. Darkness Undying
04. Zacar Old Zamran
05. Insane Hatred For The Supposed Creator
06. The Jesus Sect.
07. Intoxicated With Death
08. Satan Ex-Machina
09. Zazaz


Boasting former members of CENTURIAN and current members of SEVERE TORTURE in its ranks, The Netherlands' NOX comes with a teeth rattling debut alum called "Ixaxaar". Steeped in the occult and powered by a blackened death metal engine, "Ixaxaar" is not for the weak-willed or the physically meek. It is a blasting and calamitous whirlwind of death metal atrocity, no two ways about it.

Comparatively speaking, you will hear a combination ANGELCORPSE, BELPHEGOR, the blunt force of HATE ETERNAL, and the war metal destructiveness of an act like Australia's ABOMINATOR, as well as a bit of early MORBID ANGEL. NOX fits squarely into the category of bands that are rooted in death metal bludgeon, but whose overall approach is primed with the rawness and frightening abandon of the most vicious black metal. The nastiness of the affair knows no bounds, regardless of the somewhat familiar sound employed.

Those that enjoy the kind of blackened death metal fare to which I've referred will understand the manner in which the riffs sound like swirling machetes. Adding a blast-beaten drumming style to the six-string whirlwind results in arrangements that disrupt one's equilibrium. Lower to mid-range death growls (not the overly guttural variety) are heard most often, while frequent use of the black metal shrieks give the tunes that oh so important measure of maliciousness. The solos are quick and to the point, like an efficient slash across the throat.

One should not assume though that "Ixaxxar" is a one-dimensional album though, even though initial spins may lead one to believe so. It's just that first-time listeners will be so overwhelmed by the intensity that paying attention to compositional nuance becomes secondary to personal safety. Songs like "Blind Mad God" and "Darkness Undying" demonstrate the band's ability to incorporate effective, if brief, tempo changes (though things rarely slow down),as well as moments when the machete riffing lightens up just a hair and allow the licks to breathe (more like a gasp for air). We are talking in very relative terms of course. The only real reprieves one gets from the unrelenting insanity are on tracks like "Intoxicated with Death" (the slow, BELPHEGOR-esque beginning) or the shift to mid-tempo during sections of "Zazaz", but the breaks are short lived and the killing soon begins again in earnest.

Relaxation of any sort is not an option with an album like "Ixaxaar". It is often difficult to harness the feeling one gets when everything seems on the brink of imploding, but stops just short of it. It is that kind of controlled chaos that makes "Ixaxaar" so damn disorienting. Take cover.

Author:
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).