Nexion

This EP is quite simply, a massive, tight and near-flawless release coming from a brand new band featuring several well-traveled headbangers. Among others we have the live axeman from orthodox-black metal hearthrobs Svartidauði, the ex-drummer from supremely violent Angist, the frontman from the thrashers of Blood Feud, the singer from NY-state kinda-swedeath Fenrismaw and a dude called Kári on the top of that (don't ask, they've got odd names in Iceland).


So essentially, even if, on paper, this is a completely new outfit, we're actually talking about a very-professional release spit by experienced musicians who know what they want and how to get it. What do they want then? Total destruction's my guess...Seriously, even though we've "only" got 3 songs and 20 minutes, you can be sure that this EP's packed to the brim. There's not a dull moment in sight and every song's harsh as lava. Basically, Nexion's a very blackened death metal outfit. They fuse the dirtiest and ugliest of both worlds in a cohesive and morbidly-appealing way. Here, you're served with a supremely massive drumming to set the stage, together with deadly-sharp guitars swirling endlessly in the void, and that's just the beginning. The whole EP has a very tense atmosphere...melodic parts intersect with heavier, quasi-doom mid-tempos while the vocals vary between violently guttural and insanely shriek-like.


Nexion feels like a band on the crossroads. In a fashion, they're way too dark and melody-driven to fit with the modern death metal scene where you've got the tech-suckers on one side and the regressive old-schoolers on the other side. Yet, their in-yer-face production, commitment on heaviness and instrumental prowess doesn't fully qualify the as Black Metal either. I personally see them as kinda standing in the midst of post-Euronymous Mayhem (but more brutal), Dark Funeral (with more instrumental variation) Misþyrming (but more dissonant), Tsjuder (in less primitive) and Incantation (a less spasmodic one). In short, Nexion manage to take everything that's great about non-garage black metal and non-technical death metal and bring it together into a very addictive and, one could say, frustratingly-short EP that is guaranteed to not leave your head for a little while. It's both intense and.... intense. What can I say? As long as you're into extreme Metal and can tolerate stuff that hasn't been recorded with a toaster in a swamp by a wanna-be guitar-hero, this EP will hit where it hurts. In my mind, this is a solidly 90-95% release. It won't quite top the classics (I doubt anything can get better than either Clandestine or Monument of Death) but considering how lax most reviewers are on MA I'll still stand behind 100%. This band needs some serious exposure, you'll understand when you've listened to thtat EP.