Worship the Degenerate

Since releasing “Wala’at” back in 2020, Saudi black metallers Al Namrood have gone through a few changes, not least giving up vocalist Humbaba whose florid singing helped define the band’s hybrid black metal / traditional Middle Eastern folk style. New singer Artiya’il has a more aggressive, savage style of raspy black metal vocal which fits a more streamlined yet still powerful style of melodic black metal. Though “Worship the Degenerate” is Al Namrood’s ninth album, its production values remain raw and rough around the edges, thanks in part (ironically perhaps) to Saudi government repression of non-Islamic music, and in particular those styles of music that are associated with rebellion or which express opinions and views critical of aspects of Saudi society and culture, and of Islam itself – meaning of course that Al Namrood members record in secret in what must be difficult and often makeshift / primitive conditions with whatever instruments and recording equipment are available.

Compared to previous studio albums, “Worship the Degenerate” is short with fewer songs – there are six here whereas previous albums had up to nine or ten songs – but in spite of the production quality which can make the music seem bristly and brittle in parts, the music is as strong and punishing as ever. Indeed, with Humbaba’s vocal gymnastics gone, the music takes centre stage and Artiya’il’s slavering icy-cold vocals become part of the music itself, albeit a savagely thrashing reptilian part. The complex Middle Eastern rhythms and melodic structures and the rich tones of traditional Arab music that have always been part of Al Namrood’s style now stand out along with the harsh noisy guitars and thundering percussion. With a true hybrid music like this, no other adornment is necessary (though some tracks do boast background field recordings and dark ambient introductions) and even a more polished presentation might mute the aggression and fury of the band’s style and message.

Each and every song from the first, “Protector of the Herd”, to the fourth, “Sun of Liberation”, goes for its life, packing in as much thunder and hard-hitting rage in every riff, melody, blast-beat rhythm and screaming lyric as possible. If there’s one thing missing from Al Namrood’s musical vocabulary, subtlety would be it. At the same time that a roar from Artiya’il or a jagged guitar chord sequence is going on – and usually the screaming and the savage music are carrying on at once – a tinkly quarter-tone melody or police siren might be dropped into the cacophony. Of these four, the stand-out tracks are the title track for its riffing and rapid-fire percussion, and “Guerillas” for its smart presentation combining crunchy guitar melodies and stony percussion with the sounds of urban street warfare.

The last two tracks “Eclipse” and “Free Will” are instrumentals which initially seem out of place on a savage album, being little more than repetitive rhythm exercises in search of lyrics and someone to sing them – though in the very absence of lyrics and a vocalist with Artiya’il’s style, the two tracks may be saying something about the current state of Saudi society and its respect (or lack thereof) for personal political freedoms. As a title, “Free Will” has a mocking edge to it, given that the track meanders along as if looking for and beckoning a human voice that might expose the dark forces within its languid flow. The danger though is that once those forces are released, they can destroy that voice.

Though the album is short and ends abruptly, and individual tracks themselves are not long for all their punchiness, the music achieves a sharp richness from fusing black metal, Middle Eastern folk and field recordings of modern urban life. The bizarre and surreal aspects and contradictions of this hybrid music – thundering black metal, lyrics examining the role of religion as both psychological warfare and a path to spiritual liberation, native folk music with its own distinct moods and ambience, all while working in a country whose government threatens the very lives of the music's creators because they dare to question religion and tradition – are what make Al Namrood’s work so fascinating to follow. Al Namrood might not have achieved all that they set out to do on this album but what they have done with this and all their other work is nothing short of amazing and courageous.

Al Namrood is a band I’ve had a soft spot for ever since I discovered them back in 2020. It’s not so much that they’re one of my favourites or anything, but their unique take on black metal, and the influences they inject into it make for quite an interesting listen. Couple that with the difficult conditions under which they make their music, it’s hard not to root for them. 2 years after Wala’at, we’re being graced with the band’s newest full-length, Worship the Degenerate, an album that presents us with many changes, some more welcome than others.

I’m gonna address the elephant in the room right off the bat: Humbaba’s gone. To me, he’s been one of the band’s defining characteristics outside of the instrumentation, with his vocal antics being one of the things I enjoyed the most about them. Whether he’d chant, gurgle or yell his lungs out, his theatrics added a lot of flavour, and he was arguably the heart of it all. Newcomer Artiya'il isn’t necessarily bad, he rasps, growls and gurgles well enough, but I can’t help but feel like something’s missing from Al Namrood’s sound. It took me a bit to get fully accustomed to what I was hearing, and while I find his performance to work in the context of the album, I can’t help but lament what could’ve been.

As for the music itself, it has progressed compared to the last two (10 Years of Resistance notwithstanding) albums, primarily in terms of extremity. Worship the Degenerate is the band’s shortest release to date, clocking in at just short of 26 minutes, and its brevity is only matched by its intensity. This is Al Namrood at their harshest, with a lot of the more mid-tempo and atmospheric tendencies being replaced by raging black metal riffing and drumming, all while maintaining their trademark Middle-Eastern flavour. “Protector of the Herd” tears through your speakers after a short introduction, its razor sharp riffing culminating in a tasty breakdown that commands a reaction out of the listener. The real highlight of the album though is “Guerillas”, another no-holds-barred rager that also features some militant drum patterns, which become all the more visceral when combined with the traditional instruments and the ambient combat sounds.

For how brief this album is though, it’s very much still plagued by filler. The last two tracks grind its relentless pace to a near halt, feeling woefully misplaced, and to an extent mismatched with what came before them. “Eclipse” and “Free Will” are both instrumentals that not only feel tacked on to the end as an afterthought, but also take up 8 minutes of Worship the Degenerate’s runtime. The former feels like an older Al Namrood track (circa Diaji Al Joor), that one could easily imagine Humbaba over. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was an unused instrumental from the band’s older works really. As for “Free Will”, it just maintains this down-tempo, low energy approach established by the track that preceded it, being an almost 4-and-a-half-minute long outro that has nothing to show other than the folk instrumentation. It’s honestly quite disappointing that things end like that, because had those tracks been replaced or improved upon we could’ve had some of Al Namrood’s most energetic output to date. Instead we’re given 18 minutes of high-octane black metal that are followed by 8 minutes of boredom. That’s a pretty bad ratio if you ask me.

As for the production, it’s somewhat lo-fi, yet fitting the music, as one would expect. The sharp, buzzing guitars lay down some ferocious, yet coherent and flavourful riffs, supported by very punchy and present drumming (that is probably programmed). The bass is lost in the mix, trying to be heard during the slower segments but remaining buried under the kick drums and the metallic snare, which has been an issue the band has been dealing with for quite some time. As for the Arab instruments, they all sound quite good and are implemented excellently, adding an extra layer of atmosphere to the proceedings.

It’s safe to assume that Worship the Degenerate was very much affected by outside interference, that this time went beyond the difficulties Al Namrood has been faced with during their existence. Humbaba’s departure, and the pandemic undoubtedly contributed to making the creation of this album an even bigger challenge than it would’ve been under normal circumstances. Its incomplete and somewhat shoddily put together nature definitely affects the listening experience, but despite that there’s a lot to like about this album, even with all its drawbacks. These guys have always been quite endearing to me, and I feel compelled to support them even through missteps such as these. I honestly hope that they continue on this path, cause there's quite a bit of unrealised potential that I'd love to see fulfilled.

Highlights: Protector of the Herd, Guerillas