Thursday, December 2, 2010

Black Majesty (Nor) "Seventh King of Edom" 7"


First off, this is not that Aussie band by the same name, this is a one-man project by the Nord HBM, who is probably better known for his work in Mare and Kaosritual. With FMP's debut somewhere on the horizon, I wanted to give thorough respect to this band, because in a world where black metal is becoming closer and closer to pop-punk with sunwheels, it's important to remember that there are still some great acts out there doing the more traditional thing. This is one of the few *truly* satanic, Left Hand Path bands you can find, and it comes across in an almost unsettling vivid way through the presentation and "musick" of this record. The first confusion some people may have regarding Black Majesty is the swastika in the logo. This is not a swastika, it is a sauvastika (it rotates left instead of right), which is in many ways even sketchier a symbol. The packaging for this record is fucking incredible, the layout inside the sleeve is so elegant, tidy, and effective in conveying the spiritual and ritualistic purposes of this recording. I like the selection for the cover art as well, it is reminiscent of medieval-style "bizarre" but with 2-point perspective. The simplistic and straight-forward layout, even to the sticker on the record-center, says to you "This music primarily is a means of practicing magick, not entertainment." When you listen to this slow, doomy, chanted (no screaming), synth-tinged record, you really feel like you're deep in a cave somewhere trodding through a long drawn-out Saturnian ritual. You may find yourself banging your head to Black Majesty, but is clear that that is not his intentions. This music is made for lighting candles and meditating, and lyrically it is all chants and religious verses, so lots of calling out names of various occult figures and lots of lines that end with "!". This is not to say the record doesn't have its share of rockin-ness. The beats are punishing, not technical or cheesy, but really powerful in a trance-induced way. There's even a double-kick section that somehow manages to NOT come across like what you would expect from typical double kicks, it retains the rhythmic balance necessary to be truly "evil" without being truly "generic punishing metal," and that's what I find most impressive about this band.

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