Mdłości / Further Down the Nest

Is my quest finally over, does it really end here? I thought I`d be jubilant and laughing, but the truth is, it`s been a long, sometimes tiring search. All I can manage is a smile, a very satisfied smile, knowing I`ve at last found where the spirit of black metal resides. I gaze off into space and listen to the transmission as it plays, and for a while at least, am one with the void, sometimes glimpsing and even actually comprehending its immenseness before I realise no mortal should tarry here long, lest they`re burned and return an empty husk.

This release combines MGLA`s 2006 EP - Mdlosci, with their 2007 EP - Further Down the Nest, giving a little over twenty two minutes listening time.

MGLA (fog) and Mdlosci (nausea), two words that encapsulate and help portray what to expect when listening to the first two parts. A thick black miasma engulfs the listener, M`s harsh vocals and some of the best, most relentless drumming I`ve heard in black metal, courtesy of "Darkside".
The guitars are very rhythmic and the leads make the hairs on my neck stand up! Outstanding.

Further Down The Nest, (parts three and four) sound like they were written to compliment Mdlosci, two EP`s joined together rarely sound so seamless. The drumming in part II deserves an extra mention as it really is just superb and very martial sounding.

I made the mistake of playing this three times in a row writing this review, way too long gazing into the abyss, and nearly didn`t make it back.
My eyes see clearer now, I have passed through and returned, though not without mental scars, and inheriting the gaze of a madman.

Hands down, this is a quintessential modern black metal listening experience, as it encompasses and codifies the genre's base elements into a cohesive whole. Sonically, its nature is of the raw and melodic, like true 2nd wave black metal should be, and yet, it is stiflingly oppressive in its framework... all the while maintaining a dismal, haunting atmosphere. And that is why M+FDtN succeeds; M purifies the best of what black metal currently has to offer, much like a Scotch single malt pot still, and then ages it the in charred oak cask of black metal's past. At times Mgla manage to evoke the heroic ethos of proper a militant march, as w/ the opening 2 mins of FdtN II, despite keeping the listener ensnared in the jaws of the fiercest violence and misanthropic blood-lust. And they manage to do this in an organic manner, without the failing of sounding overtly contrived or self-indulgent. Pretty close to perfection as any black metal release out there can get, in my opinion, and I suppose it makes sense that only 4 tracks are to be found here. The reason for this is that Mdlosci + Further Down the Nest is a compilation CD that represents two brilliant, albeit short, previously released vinyl EPs.

M's incredibly acerbic vocals power through the oppressive wall of sound when the man has a point to make, and absolutely seeths venom with his delivery. Guitars are brilliantly melodic, running a gamut of emotions that, at times, evoke a morose and melancholic mood, while maintaining an air of pride and scathing conmtempt. A triumph of one keen mind's existential, nightmaric view of humanity. A better production value couldn't have been used here; everything is given its proper treatment and thus allowed to shine as a whole that is more than the sum of its parts. The drumming, courtesy of the adroit Darkside, remains faithful to the inherent nature of the music only thundering through with purposeful blasting, and enigmatic fills, when absolutely called for. This further clinches the tension already set in place by M's compositional groundwork, which, from a superficial vantage point, may seem a bit minimalist. The arrangements are often slowly propagated through an expression of recurring tremolo picked riffs... and moody rhythmic chord progressions generate themselves over in hypnotic fashion via recursive phrases before making their destination evident through small, calculated permutations. The passages coming off as somtimes sorrowful, and other times seemingly reach up to the height of the cosmos out from the black sludge depths of terra firma. All the while, the dynamics of the percussive and vocal elements take a decisive and driving hold, counterpointing M's melancholic and majestic guitar work, building to a steady, rousing crescendo. This mounting tension eventually leaving the listener's mind scorched in the smouldering embers of its aftermath, else confused and bewildered by their lack of perception.

Not that it really has to be noted, but Mgla simply levels the playing field for most modern 2nd wave black metal held against it with this offering (yeah, the consummation of all the elements, and in turn the final result, is THAT GOOD). If you have even the slightest urge to find out what the genre is all about, look no further than this MCD. You can pick it up at Northern Heritage in Europe, or probably even some distributors in the US. 99/99