Azaghal – Nemesis

Who says that black metal music is exclusively Norwegian? Finland is full of quality in black metal bands too. The genre’s fans worldwide recognize bands like Horna, Behexen and Sargeist. In these bands, Azaghal are added easily for their aggressive style. Azaghal reached the ninth full-length in their career, a career full of evil and grim music. If you have listened the previous “Teraphim”, “Omega” and “Perkeleen Luoma” or more early stuff, you will surely agree with me. But if you want to listen some namby-pamby black metal music, with weird stuff inside the music and posers on the stage, better go listen “Abrahadabra” or “Nymphetamine”, because “Nemesis” is full of raw material and true frost.

“Nemesis” isn’t the best album of Azaghal, but certainly is equally good, as “Omega” for example. From the beginning ’til the end you listen one solid music structure with an intention for melodies. It’s just black metal, nothing more, nothing less and it’s good for the specific genre. First of all, we have “De Masticatione Mortorum”. How many albums start with such an epic riff? Only a few I guess. From the vocals to the drums the listener faces a storm of grim black metal music. The remarkable thing is the very fast guitar composition and from the first song I have a positive mood for the whole album. And the second song follows the same way and doesn’t escape from the black metal field. In the third song the listener meets for the first time in “Nemesis” some guitar melodies, who are not unfamiliar to the band, there were some in “Teraphim”, but it doesn’t mean that Azaghal play melodic black metal. “Vihasta ja Veritöistä” maybe has a few riffs in refrain, but except that they are amazing, the melodic verse precedes. This thin line between melody and aggression is one of the most characteristic thing in Finnish black metal bands. Wherever you look (in Satanic Warmaster, in Behexen, etc.) you’ll find similar compositions but in Azaghal is something amazing. Let’s not be tiring anymore, I could write a lot of words, for this song.

Next in the play list is another stunning song, “Hail The Whore” with a very chaotic intro and very alternating guitar riffs. The break down with arpegio cuts it off immediately and then the chaos begins again. Just the definition of raw black metal. “Ex Nihilo” on the other side, starts with a slow tempo in the beginning and gradually raises speed. Well, personally I didn’t like it very much, because of the deep vocals around in the middle of the song and the background vocals in the end. But in music composition is like “Hail The Whore” with a hypnotic rhythm. Generally, in “Nemesis” I couldn’t found many negative spots, neither hoped to listen something bad and “In Deathlike Silence” came to confirm me. The melodies are still here and coexist perfectly with the furious riffs and solo. Also, the vocals extract an extremely darkness, that reminds me the first bands of black metal music. Until now I counted only amazing songs, but they continue with the seventh track “Black Legions of Satan”. The drum and guitar compositions are close to a black’n’roll style. It’s catchy and grim at the same time.

Maybe I’m telling only good words for “Nemesis”, but I truly liked it, so let me extol another song. The title song, reminded me one of my favorite bands in black metal, Immortal. From the first second, “Nemesis” is like an Immortal song, so I couldn’t be able to find it bad. I will not stay in riffs, besides I told all at the beginning. I will stay in the amazing vocals of Narqath. The title song is surely one of the few that transmit darkness and evil without any difficulties. This is how a black metal song should be and not an excessive “satanic relation” with clown singers in video clips. I liked also the clear vocals that boost an epic attitude in the song and I distinguished a trend for solos in Azaghal, but it’s not bad at all. Next to it is “The Pit Of Shoggoths” a song that is quite similar with the previous album tracks, but I can’t leave unnoticed the epic riff and solo which starts in 1:40. The lyrics are ingeniously very good, and this is rare for a black metal track. Finally, the album closes with “Satanic Devotion” which is another raw song, very usual for Azaghal. Once again, the melodies coexist with riffs and the drums give the rhythm without the slightest mistake.

Summarizing, “Nemesis” begins and ends furiously and it’s another great work of the Finnish band. It’s full of great riffs and Azaghal break the monotony with many arpegios, solos and especially guitar melodies. Honestly, neither Azaghal nor another Finnish black metal have disappointed me. 2012 started very promising for the fans of the genre and I recommend undoubtedly “Nemesis” to the die-hard fans of them. Maybe it isn’t an album that you’ll go crazy, but surely it’s amazing.