As do I. I like the washed-out (right term?) filtration used on it, and the fluid texture of the picture. It also has a satisfyingly ambiguous quality to it, seeming dream-like in its abstractness, so much so, that I still can't decide what those shapes are.

the sample is nice, bearing in mind the fact that I'm a hardcore BAN fan (from the first to the latest release).. Any news when is the album to be released officially?

I hate their newer stuff like TWWTG and mORT. The first three albums are some of the best pieces of music i've ever heard. I just hope they can "return to the roots" and shit.

I've enjoyed every album from this band but my favorite is The Work Which Transforms God, Its just so evil.

there's a new track here : http://www.myspace.com/candlelightrecords

MorT was excellent. If it bears some resemblance to it, I'll be happy.

It was an acquired taste for me. Took me a year before I could listen to the album without any biased opinions, but before that I hated it.

Well, I just recently took a listen to the track (of Blut aus Nord's forthcoming full-length album) that's being hosted on Candlelight Record's MySpace web-page, and it's alright, which seems to be heading in the direction that their first two releases were progressing in. However, the drumming (consisting of blast-beats, as it seems) is unimpressive, though.

Overall, the riffing towards the end of the song is quite nice and refreshing, yet the drum instrumentation is generally unappealing and rather bland.

I also second that the drumming was unimpressive.
I do like the overall atmosphere of the song though.
I sure hope there will be something more in the veins of The Territory of Witches / Guardians of the Dark Lake !

EDIT: Has anyone seen the artwork yet? It's supposed to be something close to this I guess.

Looks like a gay viking/folk album.

Since when was the focus of BAN the drumming? especially in the early work.

I think the full song is amazing, I am eagerly awaiting this and the new Absu.

I like the artwork. Perhaps my gay viking side might come out a bit more when I get to hear the new album.

Never, but it wasn't irritating in the early work.

EDIT: upon further listening, the drumming isn't as annoying. But it's still too mechanical.

The artwork is good, it's somehow reminiscent of Ultima Thulee's reissue artwork (hilly landscape, dark cloudy sky, etc..)

Yeah it's not bad, it just looks like something Moonsorrow would release.

this wins pretty hard.

Listened to it a few hours ago, although I wasn't really concentrating on it. Pretty good, some sections were quite enjoyable. I'll have to listen to it again for a more solid opinion.

I'm currently listening to it for the third time now, and I can say I'm not disappointed! It's reminiscent of The Work Which Transforms God; some parts are more atmospheric over others, but the guitars are bit more technical (with solo and melody parts). The majority of people seem to hate the drum machine, but I love it! It's got it's signature Blut aus Nord sound to them.

My favorites thus far are: Disciple’s Libration (Lost in the Nine Worlds), Antithesis of the Flesh (And Then Arises a New Essence), and Elevation.

BTW which of these two is the correct track listing:

1. Acceptance (Aske)
2. Disciple’s Libration (Lost in the Nine Worlds)
3. The Cosmic Echoes of Non-Matter (Immaterial Voices of the Fathers)
4. Translucent Body of Air (Sutta Anapanasati)
5. Antithesis of the Flesh (...and Then Arises a New Essence)
6. ....the Meditant (Dialogue With the Stars)
7. The Alcove of Angels (Vipassana)
8. The Formless Sphere (Beyond the Reason)
9. Elevation

or

01. Disciple's Libration (Lost In The Nine Worlds)
02. Antithesis Of The Flesh (...And Then Arises A New Essence)
03. The Alcove Of Angels (Vipassana)
04. ...The Meditant (Dialogue With The Stars)
05. Acceptance (Aske)
06. Translucent Body Of Air (Sutta Anapanasati)
07. The Formless Sphere (Beyond The Reason)
08. The Cosmic Echoes Of Non-Matter (Immaterial Voices Of The Fathers)
09. Elevation (The Dawn Of The Gods)

(Top one is MA's, bottom one is Candlelight's?)

I'm guessing the top one. Every site seems to have the first one listed, including the one I downloaded.

Album of the year.

I've only checked out one song, and I must say that I'm a bit impressed. I've liked all of Blut Aus Nord's material, including MoRT. I used to hate MoRT, but one day it simply grew on me. However, their early stuff is the best material unfortunately.

It got to the point that I thought he would never do a Memoria Vetusta II since it's been so many years. Then when I heard the news, I thought,"Cool...but hows he gonna do it?" As soon as the song I heard off of Memoria Vetusta II started, I was dissapointed because it just sounded like another Blut Aus Nord album. Then the guitar started wailing away, and I began to enjoy the song greatly. Mostly because the guitar sounded some-what similar to the guitar sound from Memoria Vetusta I, which was excellent. Can't wait to hear the rest of the album.

Oh, and I don't know why people are making a big deal out of the drum machine, its the same-old usual Blut Aus Nord drum sound. At least to me it is.

I think Candlelight's one is correct. They're the band's label, after all.

Well I don't know, "Aske" does seem like the album's intro...

Just so you guys know, the new album has leaked, and is amazing, i'm not one to declare best albums of years without listening to it for at least 5 or 6 times over, but it takes the best elements of The Work (mainly production qualities) and Ultima, while bypassing the sour failure which was MORT. A truly majestic and excellent album, not a viking album, and not industrial.

1 part Lurker of Chalice
2 parts Ultima Thule
1 part The Work

The best part of the album is its overall unity, in stark contrast to the disunity and chaos of MORT.

Just to add something: the transition from "...The Meditant" to "The Alcove of Angels" is fitting, which probably means Candlelight's track listing is wrong and MA's is the correct one.

Spot on.

That guitar melody in track 7 - The Formless is freaken magical. My only complaint is the lack of clean vocals that Memoria I had. Id still give it a 9/10 for what it is though.

My God, I listened to this album and I was just blown away. It just had that black metal magic that's been missing for such a long time. After all these years, I was surprised on how awsome the solos and riffs were on this album. Definantly the best album Blut Aud Nord has written in years.

Last two posts urged me to start downloading, but it's taking forever. Finally, I can listen to a new Blut Aus Nord album, and keep it too.

One of the top albums of the year for me already. The guitar work is sublime, and overall brings back the atavistic transcendental qualities of the first two works.

This album is genius and will be hard to top this year, though the new Funeral Mist will probably top it, and the new Immortal could be competition whenever that shows.

Wow... I really like this compared to that cesspool MoRT. Listening to "The Formless Sphere" the most - just so spellbinding. Definitely need more listens since I don't see this one topping MV I. Nonetheless, a very catchy record.

I've only heard the one posted on Candlelight's MEEEspace, but:


1. What on earth are you people talking about with the drum machine? "Too mechanical?" They've always used drum machines almost exclusively, so it's not terribly any different from the past. Which is fine, because the drums on their second album (which is what this album is presumably supposed to sound the most like) did exactly what was required: provide an unobtrusive background meter for the guitars to soar over, and that's what is present in that song. Honestly, if the drums were more like TWWTG they'd be less mechanically repetitive, since the drumming on that album actually had some variation in it. Which would not be good for a more traditionally-styled black metal album (like what this one is supposed to be).


2. I'm not hearing any TWWTG; does this come out in the other tracks? Because the one on the MEEEspace sounds pretty much like what I would expect Memoria Vetusta I to sound like if it had a slightly higher production budget.


3. I actually find the production more suitable to the style than the original FotIA production; the treble is a bit less grating on the ears.



Overall, I'm actually looking forward to this. Wasn't expecting it after the boring (and this from an ambient fan) nonsense that was Mort, and the disappointment that was Odinistp.

Drum machine on "Ultima Thulee" and "Memoria Vetusta I" sounds organical and perfectly fitting, whereas here it's irritating and out of place (when it does blastbeats, at least).

I had high hopes for this, Blut aus Nord has never disappointed me. I need to give it a few more spins, but I was more than pleased with this.

How is it out of place? Are you referring to the specific sound of the drum, or the way it's programmed? Because the way its programmed so far (I'm downloading the album now) isn't largely different from the way it was back then, though I will grant that it does bear some slight resemblance to the drums on TWWTG---but not in a mechanical way. It's more varied.

I'm referring to the way it sounds. It stands out against other instruments and its sound is harsher than it should have been. Instead of being in harmony with other instruments and the overall atmosphere of the album, it's spawning dissonance. It simply sounds unnatural and sort of superfluous.

I somewhat agree, it is abit annoying at times but I think all in all its fine and tolerable atleast.


I'm almost threw listening to this album for the first time and so far I have to say that I'm mostly impressed, its definatly an acceptable sequal to the first great Memoria Vetusta album. Probably still not nearly as good but for a band that went in a totally different direction after that album for them to be able to come back to their roots abit and actually still 'have it', I think is impressive. I'll probably be buying this at some point.

As far as release dates are concerned. I think the BAN as well as some other candlelight stuff (i.e. Absu) is pretty much all popping out in the US on Feb. 24

I'd never listened to this band before, but after some topics I saw around this (and other) forum about them I checked and I can clearly say that we have to deal with a great band. Slow paced blackmetal, doomed to its flesh, hopeless. I like The Work Which Transforms God so far, getting even more into their music.

Ok I'm glad I didn't spend money on this. So far it's a snoozefest. I find that I need aggression in my music. Perhaps repeated listens could tell a different story, but this would be on the condition that I could sit through the album again. (In case you're wondering, no I don't have ADD)