Reviews: SODP056
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Pennsylvania's Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus have returned with a new ep that continues the ambient black metal style that was established on previous recordings and this is a review of their 2016 ep "Madness Incarnate" which will be released in May as a joint effort between Symbol Of Domination Productions and Black Lion Productions.
Nature and winter sounds start off the ep before adding in guitars that use a great amount of tremolo picking that also takes the music into more of a black metal direction along with some atmospheric synths and grim screams and when the music speeds up a great amount of blast beats can be heard.
At times the music can be very depressive and after awhile melodic guitar leads start making their presence known on the recording and some songs also bring in a small amount of clean playing while growls are also added into the background briefly bringing in a touch of death metal and the music sticks to mostly a slow or mid paced musical direction while also mixing in elements of ambient and having its fast moments and they close the ep with an acoustic track.
Nihilistinen Barbaraarisus plays a style of black metal on this recording that is very raw, atmospheric and melodic while still having an ambient edge, the production sounds very dark and raw while the lyrics cover arctic, freezing north and isolation themes.
In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Nihilistinen Barbaraarisus and if you are a fan of ambient black metal, you should check out this ep. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Traversing The Frozen North" and "Immaculate Deconception".
http://occultblackmetalzine.blogspot.ru/2016/03/nihilistinen-barbaarisuusmadness.html
Questa band, nonostante il complesso monicker in lingua finlandese, proviene da Philadelphia, anche se il ricorso a quella lingua è ampiamente giustificato dal fatto che Mika Mage, colui che regge le file dei Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus, è originario appunto del grande paese dei mille laghi.
Sotto l’egida della label russa Symbol of Domination, come l’etichetta madre Satanath Records specializzata nel recupero di realtà semisconosciute ma meritevoli di attenzione, i nostri propongono il loro black dai tratti atmosferici e, in ossequio alle origini di Mage, molto più orientato come sound alla scena nord europea piuttosto che a quella statunitense.
L’ep è breve ma, in questi pochi minuti, i Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus dimostrano di manipolare la materia in modo appropriato, conferendo al sound per lo più un’aura algida con puntate in territori depressive, ma sempre sorretto da buone linee melodiche; Mage si avvale nel corso del lavoro del contributo di tre diversi vocalist, tutti allineati comunque al tradizionale screaming di matrice back.
Molto bella e incisiva l’opener Traversing The Frozen North e non da meno si dimostrano la title track e la più robusta Immaculate Deconception (uscita in precedenza come singolo) mentre convince un po’ meno Virgin Essence per scelte ritmiche piuttosto opinabili; interessante anche la chiusura affidata al brano acustico Comte-Sponville, nel quale si può apprezzare la pregevole tecnica chitarristica di Mage.
Madness Incarnate si rivela un’uscita apprezzabile da parte di una band da tenere sott’occhio nella prospettiva di un prossimo lavoro su lunga distanza e, al riguardo, potrebbe essere utile riscoprire il relativamente recente full-length The Child Must Die, pubblicato circa un anno fa.
http://www.iyezine.com/nihilistinen-barbaarisuus-madness-incarnate
This is my first listen to Nihilistenen Barbaarisuus, I mean I had heard the name (and quite mouthful it is too at least to an English speaking tongue). But I thought they were a band from Finland itself. So imagine my surprise, when delving a little further, and finding out, NB is actually from Philadelphia, just a couple hours down highway from my house. As is becoming clear for you, this is a band, whose mastermind is of Finnish descent, and this album is a celebration of his heritage. The lyrics in fact are derived, and apparently at times, directly adapted lyrics taken from the legendary Kalevala, a Finnish book of poetry dedicated to the history, folklore and mythology of Finland. It is an interesting and strange combination, all at once I am struck by cold, hateful sounding black metal, yet there is this clear ever present underpinning of an uplifting, triumphant atmosphere driving throughout the harsh exterior. I think it shows a level of vision and talent to be able to pull that marriage off. The vocals on here are pretty monstrous as well, combing a dark death metal growl with traditional bm rasp, all done with solid range. The vocals are performed with vigor, and there was actual thought put into the inflections, speed of delivery and rhythm. This is a pretty fantastic album, I must admit it took me a little off guard, I was not expecting this level of quality and craftsmanship.
http://www.canadianassault.com/albumreviewsnewEtoN.html#nihil
You know you’re delving into some serious black metal shit when it’s hard to read the logo, and then when you can make out letters but still have no hope in hell of reading it correctly, you’ve stepped in even more serious shit. The term “nihilistinen barbaarisuus” itself is Finnish for “nihilistic barbarity” so even if you were able to read it I doubt you knew what it fucking said unless you were from Finland. But you can definitely tell that Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus is a black metal band from the logo, as we talked about, and a lot of times for me when an underground band tries to have a cover art that stands out when the music sounds like shit. Luckily, “Madness Incarnate” is no such trap. What ensues after you decide to investigate this little piece is a 5-track of ambient black metal that is of quality that I was not expecting in any way. I was honestly waiting for half-ass’d mixing and terrible sound, but instead what I got was a fairly solid record that really captured the raw intensity of the genre with a sound that had pretty high quality to it in comparison to others. I expect no less from a band that’s been around for a few albums, though. Each and every track had a very interesting feel to it whether it be the awesome riffs that pull you, the ice cold vocals that grab your attention, or the sheer intensity of everything that keeps you glued to your seat you cannot deny that Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus have truly done something with “Madness Incarnate” that can and will turn the heads of the people who are fortunate enough to come across this record. Much to my surprise, everything really came together extremely nicely with “Madness Incarnate” to where I played the album over a few times because I wanted to enjoy it some more, and with a total of 19 minutes contained in the album with the aforementioned five tracks between them you get some very solid track that waste no time and are just of real high quality. Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus defied my odds, which is a very welcome surprise, and I can almost guarantee than any black metal fan (who isn’t a scumbag elitist) can find something to enjoy out of “Madness Incarnate” because it has simply got so much great stuff the genre offers rolled in one nice, unholy 19 minutes that you’ll enjoy plenty.
http://metaladdicts.com/site/nihilistinen-barbaarisuus-madness-incarnate/
Finnish-American ambient black metal band realised the new EP .This EP is a masterpiace, as all of the albums of this band, black metal masterpiace with the taste of light and darkness combined together.
On this album it can be heard a influence of atmospheric music with raw black metal sound, and ambient music, the influence of atmospheric music is integratd phenomenally with the hole album and the songs.
Tehnical compliance is brought to ideal, acoustic is great, production is awesome.
There is also on the album this old school black metal sound combined with modern black metal sound influenced by space metal, it sounds like you are entering a dark magical world, pure awesomness.
The vocal is awesome, and the death metal vocal is great too, and fitted very good with black metal vocal.
The acoustic song on the album represent’s black metal in it’s full glory, it’s dark, melodic, cold, raw, everything that black metal is. This album will take you to a place of darkness, death, coldness, chaos, apocylpse..
Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus is the a band that are the true master’s of melodic and black metal sound. This band is a ultimate black metal band, with the true masterpiace of black metal music, at it’s full potencial.
http://demon-reports.com/wp/2016/06/02/nihilistinen-barbaarisuus-madnessincarnate/
Otra de las bandas habituales en nuestro blog es ésta creada por el finés Mika Mage, radicado en los Estados Unidos, más precisamente en Pennsylvania. Ambient Black Metal de buen nivel es lo que nos trae, nuevamente, Mage y su criatura llamada Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus (Barbaridad nihilística sería su traducción), tal como en todos sus trabajos. Mas, aquí ha dado una vuelta de tuerca a su propuesta y le ha dado un giro más agresivo a la misma, pero sin alejarse ni un centímetro de las características compositivas y sonoras típicas del grupo. Esto es así: todo está enmarcado por un envolvente sonido atmosférico en el cual se privilegian, justamente, las ambientaciones, y eso es logrado con un sonido profundo y algo caótico, como si se tratase de un agujero negro. Pero en el medio hay variantes que le permiten a Mika abrir el espectro, usando melodías de corte épico y un cierto grado de solemnidad, todo mechado con un dejo melancólico agobiante (esta parte es la que mejor se compenetra con el sonido del grupo). Puede hacer uso de herramientas netamente tradicionales cuando pisa el acelerador, pero también hay cortes acústicos y arreglos más grandilocuentes que contrastan con momentos de honda angustia. Así encontramos un comienzo netamente Ambient (dentro de lo que es el Black Metal) pero con una estruendosa carga de agresividad netamente blacker, con ese espíritu del Black Metal de los 90s omnipresente en dicha canción ("Traversing The Frozen North" es su nombre). Le sigue la canción que da nombre al disco con su impronta más bien Doom (o Black/Doom), lenta y agónica, pero siempre elegante. "Virgin Essence" es solemne y acompasada, una pieza que no se destaca pero que sirve para que el oyente no pierda la atención. "Immaculate Deconception", track que fue elegido como single adelanto del disco, resulta ser lo mejor del álbum. Su ferocidad y arreglos cósmicos cargados de oscuridad y complejidad, recuerdan a los momentos más intrincados de Emperor, con un Gary Hadden (cantante invitado que hace lo suyo en el primer corte también) inspirado y enojado. Cierra el disco con un instrumental acústico en el cual Mage saca a relucir sus raíces folclóricas.
Por cierto, dije que Hadden (cantante de Lesch-Nyhan) hace lo suyo como invitado, pues esto es así porque en el disco hay 3 cantantes invitados, quienes participan en 4 de los 5 temas que integran éste EP. Además de Hadden están James Dorton de Antikythera -entre otros grupos- y Joel Robert Thompson (ex miembro de Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus). Cada uno hace lo suyo con eficacia, mas Hadden es quien más se destaca.
"Madness Incarnate" es una confirmación del estilo y la personalidad del grupo, además de ser una afirmación de la calidad que siempre ha exhibido éste singular combo finés/norteamericano. No sé si alguna vez llegará a ser una de las bandas Top del género, pero siempre hacen lo suyo con prestancia y buen gusto, y eso ha quedado plasmado, nuevamente, en este nuevo opus.
http://puroruido.blogspot.ru/2016/06/nihilistinen-barbaarisuus-madness.html
If you’re a heavy metal connoisseur and you’ve been really itching to get your hands on not only new music… but GOOD new music (which let’s face it sometimes is difficult to find), please go check out the band, Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus. These guys are an amazing black metal band from Philly, that show so much innovation in every album they release, it’s pretty hard not to take notice.
The first track starts off with awesome sound effects of exactly what the opening track is titled, ‘Traversing the Frozen North’, a fantastic addition to the already incredible elements this band has had from prior releases, “The Child Must Die” and “Synkka Tuuli”. You can tell they find at least some influence in metal legends, Immortal and most likely Taake as well. The major thing about bands you want to stay in up-to-date with, is how they are able to take what’s been put out and make it new, and Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus do that every time.
“Madness Incarnate” seems to be a more refined look into Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus. They are taking their time and getting it right on this release. The production value on this album is pretty ace and you can tell it was produced with care and mixed to perfection. The vocals this time around are less guttural than prior releases in terms of barbarity, but still give you that same feeling of savage disgust as we are used to with black metal. Reminiscent of Mathias Lillmåns and Jon Nödtveidt put together, Mika Mage has proven he has only gotten better with his vocals over time.
‘Madness Incarnate’ is an absolutely fantastic track, the guitars are distorted with purpose and at no time sound too crunchy or harsh. Not too technical in terms of riffs but everything is done well and it leads us into one of the best songs off this short album, ‘Virgin Essence’. Totally giving us that feel of purity within the darkness that waits to engulf us. The fantastic riffs displayed here are sure to catch your ear. Almost a hint of King Diamond’s Andy LaRogue riffs can be felt within this track which makes it a personal favorite.
If you were waiting for your brutally epic blast beats from this sweet band you’re sure to find it in ‘Immaculate Deconception’. The double bass is extremely brutal but necessary to pull this track through. This would happen to be the most progressive and challenging song from them to do on this release, and they do it very well. The keyboards again are such a great element for this band, the writing of music for the keyboards in this band are beyond compare. They are never over used and are always effective, something that a lot of bands have a hard time doing.
The last track ‘Comte-Sponville’ is a beautiful instrumental and provides you with a feeling of finally reaching a destination that seemed so far when we first started our journey through the frozen north.
Make no mistake there are some bands you will be upset you didn’t know when they were first coming up and Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus is one of these bands. These guys have a lot of promise and if you’re someone that wants to be ahead of the curve, check out this album.
http://blackenedhorde.com/nihilistinen_barbaarisuus_review/
Quelques mois après son second album « The Child Must Die »
et un single, la formation américaine NIHILISTINEN BARBAARISUUS revient avec un EP comportant cinq nouveaux morceaux. Disponible depuis la mi-mai, Mika Mage (guitare, claviers), seul membre originel, s’est entouré de plusieurs personnes pour cette sixième réalisation. Suite logique sans se répéter, le black metal reste assez énervé. Ensuite, les touches symphoniques et atmosphériques, apportées par les claviers bien présents, demeurent. S’ouvrant et s’achevant par des samples de circonstance, « Traversing The Frozen North » s’inscrit dans l’esprit caractéristique de NIHILISTINEN BARBAARISUUS. Au sujet de l’éponyme « Madness Incarnate », il se montre posé, nuancé mais également davantage sombre et lancinant. Concernant « Virgin Essence », la mélodie s’avère plus joyeuse. Au premier abord, « Immaculate Deconception » semble violent mais ce n’est qu’une apparence. En effet, il renferme une longue partie centrale variant les approches. En guise de conclusion, placé au paisible et plaisant instrumental acoustique « Comte-Sponville ». Via ce sympathique EP dans le genre, NIHILISTINEN BARBAARISUUS poursuit sa route tout en dévoilant des changements. Affaire à suivre.
http://odymetal.blogspot.ru/2016/06/nihilistinen-barbaarisuus-madness.html
Aufgrund der anstrengenden Schreibweise hatte ich bei dieser Band auf Finnen getippt. Tatsächlich kommen sie aber offiziell aus den USA, auch wenn Mika Mage, der das Projekt heute im Alleingang betreibt, ursprünglich aus Finnland stammt. Auf dem Bandfoto bei Metal Archives ist noch die letzte Besetzung als Trio zu sehen. Die Ambient Black Metaller gründeten sich zwar erst 2012, haben aber schon zwei Alben und drei EPs am Start. Fleißig, fleißig! Für Ambient Black Metal ist das hier Gehörte recht untypisch, packt Herr Mage doch häufig die Keule aus. Lediglich zwischendurch ertönen mal atmosphärische Keyboardklänge. An sich lässt sich die EP ganz gut hören; das Hauptproblem ist vor allem der Drumcomputer, der steril und störend wirkt, vor allem bei den schnellen Passagen zu zu hektisch programmierten Breaks. Die Atmosphäre ist jedoch finster und erinnert gelegentlich an Midnight Odyssey, Darkspace, Trist oder Battle Dagorath. Black Metaller und Ambient-Fans, die mal auf weniger Keyboards und mehr Geschwindigkeit Wert legen, sollten hier mal reinhören.
http://www.crossfire-metal.de/13807-0-NIHILISTINEN-BARBAARISUUS--MADNESS-INCARNATE-.html
The experienced black metal band behind this 20 minute EP are from USA with, as the name suggests, a Finnish influence. Apparently in their early days raw atmospheric aggression was the basis of their sound, but judging by “Traversing the Frozen North” and the title track, which open the album, doomy repressed and depressed outpourings of blackness are more their thing. Above all it’s cold, bleak and lacking in any sort of empathy. “Virgin Essence” is more fast-paced in the way that traditional black is, but it’s hardly frantic. In fact it’s a nice rhythm with a curious and menacing symphonic underscore so it’s not music you’d appreciate for the bleakness but walk away from in indifference. For me, “Virgin Essence” had a bit of Old Man’s Child about it. The nastiness then steps up with the swirling “Immaculate Deconception”. Mid-stream we’re taken out of the trance but the track rises again epically and malevolently. A careful rhythm backs up the triggering drums and growls. It stops. This four minute track starts its third movement, ending with another burst of flying black metal sparks. Finally there’s “Comte-Sponville”, a lively little three minute acoustic piece. It’s nothing like the rest but it made think of woods and forests and nature. Maybe it’s the Finnish connection. Either way, it’s a nice track.
There’s not much to go on here but there’s plenty of coldness and deviation from some tired old formula to say that this makes a great taster for what Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus could be capable of achieving. It’s not greatly coherent but it’s interesting and something I enjoyed listening to.
http://www.avenoctum.com/2016/06/nihilistinen-baarbarisuus-madness-incarnate-symbol-of-domination/
In May 2016 the American 1-man project NIHILISTINEN BARBAARISUUS put their 5-track cd “Madness Incarnate“ on the Black Metal market. They receive help from the labels Symbol Of Domination Productions and Black Lion Productions. The opus is limited up to 500 pieces.
You can hear here raw, genuine Black Metal. Without any technical folderol, straight and pure. Conscious simple played riffs which are pitch-black and icy mingle with an expressive drumming and forceful bass lines to an unholy musical mixture. It accrues a symbiosis of hard, aggressive tones and melodic insertions. A thunderstorm of ice and rage originates which implies intense moments for the listener. The more than emphatic growls which are hardly to outpace at emotionalism yet give additionally intensity. Recorded with much blood, sweat and tears you should not miss “Madness Incarnate“.
http://www.extreminal.com/extreminal/review.asp?id=1263
Another, equally interesting, form of black metal comes from Philadelphia, USA. I loved this band immediately, simply because of their name, but when I heard the music for the first time, I was sold. Fierce black metal, often alternated or enhanced by strange noise, ambient and even minimal folk passages. Sometimes, the combination is weird, as in the massive song 'Immaculate Deconception', but the whole is so damn intense and immersive that is is quite impossible not to bang your head repetitively, until you reach a state of pitch black trance. I surely hope that these guys find a way to Europe soon and conquer the old continent with this stuff.
http://www.merchantsofair.com/reviews/brieviews-part-1
NIHILISTINEN BARBAARISUUS is an ambient black metal act from Philadelphia, PA.It was co-founded by American/Finnish dual-citizen Mika Mage (LAWRENCE’S CREATION)and Manuel Rodriguez in 2012, and has since put out a self-titled promo, a LP ‘Synkkä Tuuli’ (Finnish for “Grim Wind”) on Horror Pain Gore Death Productions, an EP ‘Väinämöinen’ and LP ‘The Child Must Die’ on Infernal Kommando Records, and a single ‘Immaculate Deconception’ on Depressive Illusions Records.
New EP ‘Madness Incarnate’ is a split-label production between Symbol of Domination(Satanath Records sub-label) & Black Lion Productions released on May this year.
„Madness Incarnate” is inspired by founder Mika Mage’s Finnish heritage, the band showcases Ambient Black Metal visuals and atmospheres full of cold, grim odes of cold subsonics, frigid atmospheres and strangely uplifting, NIHILISTINEN BARBAARISUUS are masters of melancholy.Sole member Mika Mage leads a talented group of studio musicians,including three vocalists from acts such Omelas(Joel Robert Thompson vocals in ‘Madness Incarnate’),Lesch-Nyhan(Gary Hadden vocals in „Traversing the Frozen North” and lyrics and vocals in „Immaculate Deconception”) and Black Crown Initiate(James Dorton vocals in „Virgin Essence”).The theme of the ambiance is taken over from one track to the next, creating a somewhat epic vision of a dead winter across icy ground, giving an overall impression of blasting through the snowstorm until the serene bliss of hypothermia takes hold of limbs and plunges one into absolute darkness… The impression I get from this release is that I am alone wandering through a dark empty snow covered forest without any sense of purpose.The music at first sounds very basic and simple, yet the way that so many different keyboard parts and sound effects (even bagpipes) are blended, along with the amazingly dynamic transitions (you can never predict what will happen next) make the album very deep and complex both musically and emotionally. Layers of synth effects are the main focus of each song, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Even though this is, without a doubt, a Black Metal release, it functions as ambient music in a way unachieved by even Burzum or Drudkh (for the most part). Each sound is carefully arranged, proving that technicality in metal is overrated in today’s ‚scene’. The atmosphere, as mentioned, is almost overwhelming.This is certainly a unique release, and it must have taken some doing creating this perfect balance of Ambient and Black Metal. Highly recommended.NIHILISTINEN BARBAARISUUS is also strongly recomended for those who like Burzum or any other ambient black metal stuff. The only disadvantage of this release is that it’s too short.
http://absit-omen.com/nihilistinen-barbaarisuus-2.html
I Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus arrivano dagli Stati Uniti (Philadelphia per la precisione) ed il loro impronunciabile monicker in finlandese (in italiano “barbarie nichilista”) è dovuto al fatto che il chitarrista e tastierista, nonché principale compositore, Mika Mage è originario proprio della terra dei mille laghi. Ed ecco spiegato anche il perché molti dei loro testi (non in questo ma nei precedenti lavori, tra cui i due full length “Synkkä Tuuli” del 2013 e “The Child Must Die” del 2015) sono scritti appunto in quella lingua. “Madness Incarnate” è un breve ep edito in cinquecento copie dall’etichetta russa Symbol Of Domination Productions e ci consegna una band abbastanza interessante, dedita ad un black metal tagliente e glaciale ma con abbondanti squarci tastieristici ed atmosferici, proprio in linea con le migliori produzioni made in Finland, dalle quali riprende anche un certo gusto per la melodia ed il groove. I nostri mettono in mostra un approccio piuttosto folle e, almeno a tratti, un’attitudine velatamente sperimentale (ascoltare per credere il conclusivo episodio acustico dal sapore quasi folk “Comte-Sponville”) che in qualche modo potrebbe farli accostare, sotto diversi aspetti, a realtà come Woods Of Infinity e Circle Of Ouroborus. Stanti queste premesse i Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus risulteranno appetibili più ai sostenitori delle sonorità fredde di estrazione nordeuropea piuttosto che a quelli del sound black a stelle e strisce ma in ogni caso l’ascolto sarà sicuramente piacevole: nell’attesa della prossima prova sulla lunga distanza, il consiglio non può che essere quello di recuperare gli altri lavori della band.
http://www.blackmetalistkrieg.net/
Pennsylvania’s Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus return with a new EP entitled Madness Incarnate, and for all interested metal heads, I can say that is exactly what this is. Their 2015 full-length “The Child Must Die” was an absolute monster in terms of production and presentation, and they, without a doubt, continue where they left off with that album. How the band managed to contain such passion and emotion into just 5 songs is beyond me. You can feel each track seemingly bursting at the seams. The feeling here is beyond anything I have ever heard from this band before.
The music is pretty traditional here in terms of how real black metal is played. The riffs take me back to early Dimmu Borgir, Borknagar, and Behemoth albums while the drums, even though they have a traditional aspect to them, take on an almost technical feel in certain parts of the songs. What I like about this band is that, while remaining true to form in the creation of their music, the uniqueness comes from the ambient and ethereal elements they incorporate into the construction of their songs. A lot of bands rely on their sheer brutality to get their feeling and messages across but this band take that brutality to a different level with the use of the ambient and ethereal elements. The brutality may have the same intensity but the feeling comes across on a different plane, a different perspective. A lot of bands don’t use these elements for fear of not being metal enough, but I can say that there are no issues with that here. The band know what they are doing and have mastered their craft with 3 EP’s, 2 Full-lengths, and 1 single under their belts. Even so, you can tell from release to release that this is a band who are still a work in progress and they get heavier and more intense with each release. On top of that there are not too many bands from the United States that perform this type of music who have this much intensity. The level of intensity this band has is mostly reserved for bands playing brutal death metal and grindcore. Most band from the U.S. play it safe when it comes to playing black metal. I am not saying that is a bad thing but Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus aren’t scared to take risks. All the way from razor sharp riffs to well placed keyboard work that seems to carry you to a different realm, The band have taken steps to insure that you receive every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears that they put into their music.
In addition to the above mentioned bands, this release is also recommended for those into bands such as Immortal, newer Emperor, and Abigail Williams. The band is poised to take the throne as kings of ambient black metal. Influenced by the bands named here upon many others, they take their craft seriously and only want to give their fans the best music they can possibly create. Every metal head should give this release a chance and add it to their collections. Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus will be a band to be talked about for years to come.
http://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/Nihilistinen_Barbaarisuus/Madness_Incarnate/576264/Akerthorpe/79624
Eh beh… Se un album ti comincia con una marcia di guerra in sottofondo non puoi che partire in simpatia con questi scellerati americani. Che ve lo assicuro, di americano hanno solo la natalità, per il resto il Black a tinte atmosferiche che propongono è molto europeo nella struttura, nell’epicità e soprattutto nell’atmosfera generale. Ma c’è un sottofondo, passatemi il termine, quasi festaiolo che in parte stride con la natura stessa della musica proposta. Non so, è come se ai Watain si fossero aggiunti i Korpiklaani. Una sensazione strana, discrasica ma che non suona male alla fine. Ecco, se dovessero esserci delle radici americane nella loro musica, ci sono delle reminiscenze folk, per quanto incredibile possa sembrare. Sfido chiunque ad ascoltare la conclusiva strumentale “Comte-Sponville” e a non darmi ragione. Strampalati.
http://www.metalhead.it/?p=90543
Cuando uno se topa con logos ilegibles la cosa no deja dudas: estamos en presencia de un álbum de black metal. A juzgar por el nombre de la banda y algunos de los títulos de sus canciones, nuevamente podríamos estar seguros de que provienen de alguna helada tierra escandinava pero no, nada más alejado de la realidad: Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus proviene de Estados Unidos, más precisamente de Philadelphia. Pero todo tiene su explicación: Mika Mage, el cerebro detrás de este proyecto, es nativo de Helsinki, en Finlandia.
Adentrándonos en este EP, tenemos aquí cinco tracks de un metal negro ambiental y muy sólido, con una cruda intensidad que se mantiene a lo largo de los escasos 19 minutos de duración.
Como para aumentar la versatilidad de la placa, Mage hace uso de tres vocalistas invitados, los cuales mantienen el espíritu blacker pero no hacen gran diferencia ya que sus registros se asemejan entre sí.
En síntesis, “Madness incarnate” es una buena muestra de la actual (y activa) escena estadounidense del metal más extremo. Chequéenlo.
http://rockarollazine.blogspot.ru/2016/11/nihilistinen-barbaarisuus-madness.html
Amerikkalais-suomalaisen Mika Magen nykyisellään yksinään pyörittämä Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus turauttaa ilmoille pienimuotoisen seuraajan viime vuonna ilmestyneelle The Child Must Die -albumille.
Mikään ei ole muuttunut, joskaan ei huonontunutkaan. 1990-lukulaiseen koskettimilla ryyditettyyn yhden miehen makuuhuone- black metaliin verrattuna jälki on laadukasta, nykyajan standardeilla silti kovinkin keskinkertaista ja osittain jopa köpösti toteutettua. Biiseissä on lähtökohtaisesti kelvollista ideaa, mutta jollain kumman lailla ne eivät tahdo päästä kunnolla käyntiin ja loppuvat usein yllättävästi töksähtäen.
Sormella voi osoittaa pääosin sovitusten suuntaan, mutta sävellyksellisiä seikkojakin olisi voinut hioa enemmän, ja lisätä erilaisia elementtejä oikeisiin kohtiin. Näppärän instrumentaalioutron lisäksi ep:n parhaimmistoon kuuluvan keskitempoisen nimikappaleen ulkopuolelle jäävässä kappalekolmikossa olisi vuolukirveelle ja viilalle töitä.
Kolme sessiolaulajaa hoitaa leiviskänsä, vaikkei toisistaan erityisesti eroakaan, saati edukseen, mutta rumpalin naputus kuulostaa edelleen tylsän konemaiselta.
Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus ist eine, anders als der Name vermuten lässt, US-Amerikanische Band, die 2012 das Licht der Welt erblickte und sowohl ihren Namen als auch einige Song- bzw Albumtitel ganz frech aus der finnischen Sprache entliehen. Nach 4 Jahren im Geschäft und ein paar EPs und ihren beiden Alben „Synkkä tuuli“ (2013) und „The Child Must Die“ (2015) konnte die Gruppe bereits erste Duftmarken setzen, die überwiegend sehr positiv wahrgenommen wurden. Jetzt folgte mit „Madness Incarnate“ die neuste Schöpfung in Form einer EP mit 5 Songs.
Ambient Black Metal nennen sie ihr Gebräu, doch wer jetzt an Midnight Odyssey denkt, muss nun leider enttäuscht werden, denn weder an Songlänge noch an der Ambient-Präsenz des Australiers wollen die Amis anknüpfen. Stattdessen wird der Black Metal in den Fokus gesetzt und nur im Hintergrund mit Ambient- oder Symphonic-Elementen erweitert. Daher könnte man das Ambient im Genre-Namen auch fast weglassen, dafür bekommt man davon zu wenig mit. Von der Geschwindigkeit her, bewegt sich das Ganze im Midtempo-Bereich ohne im Verlauf groß davon abzukommen. Die Gitarren fallen oft sehr rhythmisch, fast groovend aus, könnten sich aber auch zu atmosphärischen Wänden anschwellen, deren Verlauf sich das Schlagzeug unterordnet. Gesanglich gibt es klassischen schwarzmetallischen Krächzgesang, der meiner Meinung nach recht „sanft“ und klar ausfällt. Also kein großartiges Kratzen oder Gurgeln oder ähnliches, sondern pure düstere Screams.
Nach gut 20 Minuten wird der Hörer mit dem Akustiktitel „Comte-Sponville“ entlassen und langsam wächst das Gefühl, dass Die EP echt gut gemacht ist und für Fans von Black Metal mit leichtem Ambient-Anteil sicher nicht verkehrt ist mal reinzuhören. Sie hat sogar einige Stellen, die sich länger im Ohr festsetzen und einen doch relativ eigenständigen Sound. Insofern: Thumbs up!
https://metalviewer.wordpress.com/2016/06/15/nihilistinen-barbaarisuus-madness-incarnate/
If you see my review of this bands album, entitled “The Child Must Die”, you know I have become a big fan of this band. So, I was very pleased, to find this new release (limited to 500 copies) in my mailbox. The main man you should concern yourself with is Mika Mage, who is Finnish and now resides in Philadelphia, he is generally responsible for the majority of everything Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus (Nihilistic Barbarity in English), from the musical creation, to composing and concept. Though on this release, he has decided to enlist some friends, and former band mates, to lend their playing and voices to these songs. I get that feeling, from this release; it is a collection of songs rather than a cohesive whole. This just feels like it is Mika letting loose, and stretching his artistic legs, outside of the album concept, to where the individual songs are meant to be enjoyed on their own, the opposite of the old saying the sum of it’s parts… Which I think, on an ep is where you like to see that kind of thing, which if done well can be a welcome and enjoyable distraction, whilst you await the next full length album. Regardless of intentions, Mika’s superior composing skills and vision are ever present. It is a little different here at times, compared to the album, but that combination of ambient black death metal mixed impressively with frosty aggression, yet maintaining this perplexing infectious, uplifting and triumphant quality that is fast becoming a celebrated (by me at least) signature of Mika Mage’s writing style. His style is not easy to describe, but it is a near perfect blend of ambiance, cold hate and melodicism. The style, on this on five track nearly 20 minute release, varies more than the album, nowhere more apparent than vocal performances with no less than three guest vocalists. Despite the lack of cohesion in that area, it also adds a certain dynamic, varied quality which is sure to keep the listener engaged, as all the variant performances are well done. This is yet another fine Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus release, which only serves to wet the lips of the bands parched fans, myself included, who eagerly await the next full length album!
http://www.canadianassault.com/albumreviewsnewEtoN.html#nihilep
There's nothing that excites me more than hearing successive albums from a band and witnessing their sound develop, progress and perfect with each subsequent release and achieving this with the upmost rapidity is Helsinki/Philadelphia's ambient Black Metal outfit Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus.
Their 2013 debut full length, 'Synkkä Tuuli', was a good start and 2015s 'The Child Must Die' really started to grab the interest. Now leap forward just twelve months and the latest EP, 'Madness Incarnate' is on a whole new level.
Within the first minute of listening, this release utterly blew me away, noticing immediately the increased richness to the sound and production, the intense iciness of the atmosphere inspired as always by founder Mika Mage's Finnish heritage. The others were icy, but they were nothing compared to this and yet as a contrast there are some utterly sublime ambient segments which enthral with their dark melancholic beauty.
Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus have experimented and pushed the boundaries of the genre so much further this time and the confidence in their capabilities really shines out on this EP.
Article continues below...
For this release the line-up is trimmed down further to a solo endeavour of just founding member Mika Mage, a key factor in the success of this EP. Mika is a driven talent with strong ideas of just what he wants to achieve. Hhe also has the added bonus of an army of guest musicians including Manuel Rodriguez, this time covering just bass and Joffre Videz covering drums and both do a superb job. In addition to this there are also three guest vocalists and this adds even more variety and interest to this release.
The opening track features Garry Hadden (Lesch-Nyhan) on vocals and 'Traversing The Frozen North' begins on a soundscape of footsteps crunching through snow, then swathes of intense riffing and soaring roars envelop you sending an icy chill down your spine. Those riffs rise and fall as the vocals swirl like a cold wind.
On 'Madness Incarnate' the sublime intro gives no indication of the rich crushing riff that will engulf you next. The track boasts the vocal talents of former NB member Joel Robert Thompson and there's a strong Scandinavian Blackened feel to the guitar work and the subtle soaring symphonics in the second half add a haunting quality.
With James Dorton (BCI) covering vocals, 'Virgin Essence' is a little different from the other main tracks, less blackened with punchier riffs, demonstrating how having a good range of guests on an album can mix it up and make it all the more intriguing.
'Immaculate Deconception' again features Garry Hadden on vocals was also released as a single on Depressive Illusions Records. I love contrast between the blackened very Norwegian sounding riffs and the reflective, cleaner segments which hint at what will come to fruition in the final closing instrumental and the way they meld together with the help of a slight groove which serves as very neat stitching for the pieces. The vocals also become more deranged and distorted as this very complex track develops.
Never underestimate the closing instrumental, particularly 'Comte-Sponville'. This acoustic piece can stand alone in its own right and has a subtle retro progressive hint to it; a great way to end the EP.
'Madness Incarnate' is a limited edition pressing of 500 copies co-released on Symbol Of Domination Productions (a sub label of Satanath records)/Black Lion Productions but if you can’t get a copy, the album is also available from their bandcamp page as files.
'Madness Incarnate' is an utterly superb release and I can't recommend it highly enough so go spoil yourself and buy yourself a copy – you know you are "worth it" and this EP certainly is!
http://www.metaltalk.net/abyss/2016010.php
Today is the day for a juicy slab of blackened, hypnotic #metal madness, I declare. Don’t agree? Then you must join the wusses in Corpse Ripper’s realm and be condemned to listen to their punishment eternally. All others need to check out Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus and their short blurb Madness Incarnate published earlier in 2016 and signed to Symbol of Domination Prod.
Based in the US, but rooted in the cold North of Finland, Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus formed in 2012. Running up to the current record, the band produced a number of EPs, demos and two full length albums.
At first their tune comes across as a bit repetitive, but then the rich, meaty riffs and a frankly surprising song structure start denting away at your armor. All of that enrobed in a Black Metal style that dwells just this side of ambient before turning atmospheric. Combined with a large shot of Progressive, this hellish brew has the tendency to get under your skin and spin out of control.
If anything, the EP somehow lacks coherence, kind of presenting a patchwork of different themes and directions. Clearly with Mika Mage in charge and being the sole survivor, the huge list of guest contributors – many of them ex members of NB – tells us a story. This is clearly a motley selection of tracks that somehow awaited publication from different eras, but by and in itself creating an interesting album. As to the tracks, Traversing the Frozen North mostly stays on style, whereas the other tracks – whilst still blackened – refreshingly veer off to progressive land at times, barely hanging on to their ambient roots. With the exception of the acoustic Comte Sponville that don’t fit into any box. But the sum of all parts provides spice enough for you to continue listening. Enjoy!
http://www.rockmusicraider.com/newsflash-nihilistinen-barbaarisuus-madness-incarnate/
NIHILISTINEN BARBAARISUUS „Madness Incarnate“ MCD (Symbol Of Domination/Black Lion) Genre: Ambient Black Metal Der nihilistische Barbar hier ist Mika Mage, der nach Philly ausgewandert ist. Nun ist sowohl bei finnischen als auch amerikanischen Krachmaten überhaupt Vorsicht geboten, zumal wenn es sich um ein Ein-Mann-Projekt handelt. Der Finno-Amerikaner jedenfalls schart zu jeden Song Gastmusiker um sich, kommt auf drei interpretierende Vokalisten, die ihre Sache dem Anlass entsprechend dreckig raushauen, -knispeln, -krächzen, -grunzen, -zischen. Indes liegt der Fokus nicht auf der Stimme und auch nicht auf den Songs, es geht vielmehr um die Atmosphäre. Was beim auftaktenden 'Traversing The Frozen North' gar vorbildlich klappt, geht auch beim folgenden 'Madness Incarnate' – fast. Denn hier leidet die natürliche Atmosphäre vor allem gegen Ende unter dem plastikophilen Tasteninstrument. Stück drei, 'Virgin Essence', ist dann irgendwie folkloriger, fast trinkfreudig und irgendwie simpler gehalten. Gute Laune halt, aber mit düsterem Hintergrund irgendwie. 'Immaculate Deconception' beginnt gar bös' schwarzmetallisch mit gehöriger alter Cradle-Schlagseite. Und es ist der abwechslungsreichste Song auf der Mini, mit hysterischem Gesang Throats (der auch beim Opener mitwirkte). Das abschließende, sphärische Americana-Outro beendet die Scheibe viel zu schnell und entlässt den Hörer – erleichtert, dass Mika nicht übertrieben hat. Und ein bisschen enttäuscht, dass es nicht vielleicht ein bisschen mehr ist und ein bisschen stringenter zuging. (BRK) 10 Punkte
скрин
http://picturebusinessmag.com/2016/09/03/nihilistinen-barbaarisuus-review.html
‘Madness Incarnate’ is two things. It’s the EP from American ambient black metallers Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus, released in May on Symbol of Domination Records. But it is also what I feel every time I have to try and spell Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus! Inspired by the Finnish homeland of creator Mika Mage, these guys are grim and frost bitten black metal to the core.
The hypnotic waves of atmospheric black metal wash over you immediately in opener ‘Traversing the Frozen North’, and the morbid crawl of the title track cranks up the intensity. There are many synonyms for the kind of cold, frozen, icy feeling that oozes from these riffs, but ‘bleak’ is probably the most accurate. ‘Madness Incarnate’ is like being lost in the woods, staring into a blizzard knowing you’ll never escape. There’s a depressive, smothering atmosphere that drenches each melody in grey rain.
Black metal generally fires up one of three emotions; depression, coldness or fire. Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus flirts with all three, but their bleak, depressive atmospheric moments that lurk behind the bile soaked riffage in tracks like ‘Immaculate Deconception’ is where the band are strongest. ‘Madness Incarnate’ is an excellent piece of modern black metal that presents itself as something vital and essential.
https://thoseonceloyal.wordpress.com/2016/10/10/review-nihilistinen-barbaarisuus-madness-incarnate/
This is a band name that I’ve come upon on several occasions but haven’t really had a chance to check out until now. I know that I am strange in that what most people hype about I find like in 3 times out of 5 to be bloody boring. So this could very well be either the best thing since sliced bread or just something totally ordinary. This is the kind of black metal that I don’t know where to place. It ends up somewhere between the American of bands like Wolves in The Throne Room and the more atmospheric end of European black metal (if that is even a genre). This is the kind of black metal that you give up trying to place and just listen to. I have a special place for atmospheric/melancholic/DSBM in my heart. And this CD found its way to that place very quickly.
http://battlehelm.com/reviews/nihilistinen-barbaarisuus-madness-incarnate/
Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus, despite having a Finnish name and past releases titled in Finnish (debut Synkkä Tuuli and the EP Väinämöinen) calls Philadelphia home. Formed by multi-instrumentalist Mika Mage, the band’s latest EP, Madness Incarnate, features guest vocals from James Dorton (Antikythera, Black Crown Initiate) and Gary Hadden (Lesch-Nyhan) along with vocals from former Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus member Joel Robert Thompson. Bass and drums were provided by session musicians Manuel Rodriguez and Joffre O. Videz respectively.
Considering the name and the fact that Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus are black metal, prior to listening to the EP I expected raw, Finnish black metal in the vein of Horna, Sargeist or Satanic Warmaster. While Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus certainly have a raw, icy touch, their music is much more melodic and keyboard driven than many of their Finnish peers. The emphasis on keys, melody, and some progressive touches instead point to bands like Limbonic Art, early Dimmu Borgir (albeit a far less ‘carnivaly’ sounding one) and Borknagar as influences.
Madness Incarnate covers a lot of ground for being an EP. Opener “Traversing the Frozen North” sounds as the title would suggest; it’s all frozen atmosphere and is probably the release’s most melodic track. The title track has a slightly doomy opening before settling into a mid-paced tempo that the song never really moves out of. “Virgin Essence” by contrast has a bouncy, peppy driving riff that gives way to a sweeping, melancholic chorus. “Immaculate Deception” is the release’s fastest track, utilizing frantic riffs and cymbal-heavy blasts. Closer “Comte-Sponville” is a largely acoustic, folksy instrumental totally at odds with the rest of the release.
This diversity is the release’s biggest strength, since as long as you like melodic black metal there’s a spot on the album for you. But it can be a bit of a distraction as well, since it creates a release that’s somewhat disjointed. Most of the problem comes in with closer “Comte-Sponville.” Not only is it far too warm and friendly sounding, it feels as if it’s just tacked on to end the release on a schizophrenic note. Using three guest vocalists on four tracks adds to expansive nature of the record, but only slightly, since all three sound pretty similar for the most part.
These issues aside, Madness Incarnate is a solid release from an overlooked American black metal band. It has plenty of chilly atmosphere, solid melodies, and impressive songwriting that ought to appeal to fans of melodic and ambient black metal.
http://www.metal-observer.com/3.o/review/nihilistinen-barbaarisuus-madness-incarnate/
Un passage aux USA avec Nihilisten Barbaarisuus (qui en finnois signifie barbarité nihiliste) actifs depuis 2012. Précédemment, le groupe a déjà sorti 2 albums, 2eps puis un single et c’est sous la bannière de Symbol Of Domination que nous les retrouvons aujourd’hui.
Concernant le genre, le combo propose un black metal à l’atmosphère des plus glaciales avec des passages plus atmosphériques voire ambient.
Le froid domine donc pour cet Ep et ce dès « Traversing the frozen North » à l’aspect très cristallin où le son et les mélodies de guitares glacent le sang. Cette ambiance est d’ailleurs décuplée sur « Immaculate Deconception », nettement plus brutale où les effets sonores paraissent telle un blizzard qui s’abat sur nous.
Le deuxième titre en question voit cette agressivité atténuée par un break léger où dominent les arpèges, et l’on revient à ce fatal souffle de givre nuancé par des parties plus heavy.
« Virgin Essence » poursuit dans cette atmosphère mais propose néanmoins un aspect plus dansant. Les claviers soutiennent bien les mélodies, leur permettant de glisser aisément dans une fluidité naturelle. La rythmique ralentit pour poser un aspect plus épique.
Le chant, tout au long des titres, (sauf pour « Comte Sponville ») est typiquement black metal et bien éraillé.
Pour « Comte Sponville », justement, l’ambiance est à l’instrumentale avec des tons folk aux riffs répétitifs. La mélodie du début se fait posée, puis les accélérations la font évoluer vers quelque chose de plus épique. Pas de gros son ici, juste des arpèges mélodiques pour apaiser l’atmosphère et espérer le dégel qui vous permettra de retrouver vos esprits.
Une sortie intéressante, où les ambiances glaciales dominent, un black métal mélodique et atmosphérique qui saura plaire aux amateurs du genre.
http://www.magicfiremusic.net/2017/01/16/chronique-nihilistinen-barbaarisuus-madness-incarnate/
Personalmente non amo stroncare una band: è sempre un'operazione per nulla piacevole per vari motivi e non nego che tra questi ci sia il dover ascoltare più volte un disco che non apprezzo. Solitamente cerco anche di trovare del buono per quanto possibile, ma in alcuni casi il compito risulta alquanto difficile.
Parliamo dell'ultima fatica dei Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus, nome che i miei colleghi finnofoni saprebbero sicuramente leggere meglio di me; il progetto è in realtà in mano al solo Mika Mage, ora residente negli Stati Uniti, che però non nasconde le sue origini nord-europee. "Madness Incarnate" è un ep di Black Metal atmosferico di meno di venti minuti e — nonostante la breve durata — riesce a collezionare una discreta dose di difetti. La prima traccia "Traversing The Frozen North" a essere sinceri sembra andare nella giusta direzione con un riff semplice e malinconico accompagnato dalla tastiera, tuttavia proprio quando ci si aspetta un'evoluzione decisiva il brano si interrompe bruscamente; onestamente non riesco a trovare un senso a questa scelta, dà quasi l'idea che l'autore non sapesse come portare avanti il pezzo, ma in questa maniera il mood viene totalmente rovinato. La titletrack è forse la più riuscita delle cinque: non che sia un capolavoro, si lascia semplicemente ascoltare e offre un finale senza dubbio meritevole di apprezzamento, anche se la pausa prima di esso è poco convincente.
"Virgin Essence" avrebbe il potenziale per essere una traccia accettabile, eppure diventa ben presto noiosa sia a causa del riff di chitarra fin troppo banale per essere ripetuto così tante volte, sia per la batteria dalla vitalità pressoché nulla (difetto che comunque affligge l'intero disco). Si passa poi a "Immaculate Deconception" che parte con un riff che — sarò onesto — francamente ho trovato quasi vergognoso; il brano è più aggressivo, nel complesso non totalmente da buttare, grazie anche all'intermezzo atmosferico, ma ciò non basta a farmi mandare giù quelle due note alternate senza il minimo sforzo compositivo, peraltro riproposte anche verso la fine. A concludere troviamo l'acustica "Comte-Sponville", che non aggiunge nè toglie nulla a questo album, suonando comunque più o meno accettabile.
Ammetto di aver preso un po' in antipatia "Madness Incarnate", specialmente perché cercando informazioni sono incappato in un buon numero di recensioni ultra-positive e mi ero fatto una certa idea non rispecchiata durante l'ascolto; trovo però che sia un disco approssimativo, con una direzione vagamente accennata ma mai intrapresa con piena consapevolezza. La concorrenza offre in continuazione lavori di alta qualità in questo genere, con un prodotto simile sarà veramente faticoso emergere per i Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus.
http://www.aristocraziawebzine.com/recensioni/8173-nihilistinen-barbaarisuus-madness-incarnate
Ако имате нужда от глътка свеж блек метъл, вече имаме едно доста арктическо и прохладно решение. Името му е “Madness Incarnate” и играе ролята на трето EP в петгодишната дискография на Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus. Досега пенсилванците имат издадени общо два студийни албума, три EP-та и един сингъл, като изглежда, че най-новото им творение ще се окаже най-разнообразното и амбициозно от тях.
“Madness Incarnate” съдържа пет парчета и започва с “Traversing the Frozen North”, което веднага довява зимна атмосфера и почти те кара да надникнеш през прозореца, за да провериш да не би да вали сняг. Освен интензивните рифове и величествените харш вокали, присъства и много емоция, най-вече имплементирана в китарната мелодия. След тази зимна хорър история е време за истинската лудост. Едноименната песен донася със себе си отличаващо се скандинавско чувство, примесено с ембиънт и експериментални елементи, последвана от следващата песен, наречена “Virgin Essence”, която вмъква повече енергия в началото, но после преминава в меланхоличен мрак с бавно темпо. След нея “Immaculate Deconception” прави своя принос с класически вдъхновения и още повече енергия и тежест. И след пречистването на сетивата е ред на петата и финална песен “Comte-Sponville”, която определено не е нещо, което някой би очаквал от подобно EP, но е вероятно едно от най-добрите решения, които мултиинструменталистът Mika Mage е взимал наскоро. Акустичният и почти “щастлив” инструментал е чудесен край на “Madness Incarnate” и лесно може да постави Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus в списъка с най-интересни американски експериментални блек метъл групи за последните няколко години.
http://www.metal-world.info/object.php?id=14543
When creating music, chasing a muse, for a band wanting to achieve their own musical progression is essential. But in heavily guarded genres like metal and its niche subsidiaries, it’s also quite treacherous, as evolutionary leaps into the unknown may not always land into the listener’s comfort zone; a project will either rise and soar or crash and burn, depending on the level of exposure of the band, the execution of the expression, and whether the evolution in sound is gradual or instantaneous. However, the band’s unyielding drive to pursue their aspirations, coupled with the required technical ability to accomplish what they’ve set out to achieve beyond the need for monetary success or the restrictions fans place upon them, can produce greatness once the intent behind the vision is pure. The EP ‘Madness Incarnate’ by Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus is confirmation of artistic success borne from purity of vision – it is a progressive black metal album of impeccable scope and execution, created by a band who are reaching toward the pinnacle of self-actualization through music.
Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus is an ambient black metal act from Philadelphia, PA. It was co-founded by American/Finnish dual-citizen Mika Mage and Manuel Rodriguez in 2012, and has since put out a self-titled promo, a LP ‘Synkkä Tuuli’ (Finnish for “Grim Wind”) on Horror Pain Gore Death Productions, an EP ‘Väinämöinen’ and LP ‘The Child Must Die’ on Infernal Kommando Records, plus a single ‘Immaculate Deconception’ on Depressive Illusions Records.
Mika Mage remains the sole founding member and the lone creative force, with the latest EP ‘Madness Incarnate’ released on Symbol of Domination Productions & Black Lion Productions. For the EP, Mika Mage called in a talented group of studio musicians, including three guest vocalists from exciting acts such as Omelas, Lesch-Nyhan, and international touring sensation Black Crown Initiate.
Mika Mage has meticulously focused on crafting melodics and layering harmonics, for this EP, without ever shortchanging on brutal or doom metal influences. His greater use of blending all of these elements, works to create various emotional responses. In fact Mage has expertly crafted songs with endless well-refined melodic phrases, underlying the ferocious growling vocals, which become timeless. These elements are no less brilliant than the fundamental harshness of the genre which only becomes stronger and more evident as the melodic embellishments contrast the focus of Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus’ thunderous core style.
From the opening track, “Traversing the Frozen North” [vocals by Gary Hadden], this album has its pristine moments as well as its dark, more sinister parts, which altogether create amazing contrasts. Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus continue this wonderfully colorful and varied EP with the title track, “Madness Incarnate” [vocals by Joel Robert Thompson], a heavy, progressive track that manages to be downright catchy at the same time.
Now catchy and this genre are not words that normally go together, but I challenge the listener not to walk away humming the repeating guitar and bass riffs underlying the vocals on this track. And if you thought those riffs were hypnotic then you will be absolutely captivated by the thick and layered hummable guitars on “Virgin Essence” [vocals by James Dorton].
Stagnation is not an option with this band, hence “Immaculate Deconception” [vocals by Gary Hadden], sees them dig deeper into the harshness of the genre as well as the melodic elements they have injected into this EP. The drumming is thunderous here, as the music switches through its ever evolving tones. The EP closer, “Comte-Sponville (acoustic)” is smothered in wall to wall strings and represents the lightest track in the collection.
All-round, “Madness Incarnate” is, simply put, Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus’ finest recording to date. It is moody, dark, and often mysterious, with its cover art reflecting its true nature perfectly. Mika Mage and his crew of cohorts take the listener along paths that are familiar, as well as through vistas completely untraveled. In doing so, he reminds the progressive metal world why Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus are setting the standards from the underground, and why they are aiming to sit upon the throne of the genre in the foreseeable future.
I have been listening to Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus’ latest EP album; “Madness Incarnate” (2016) for few days. I cannot call myself a big black metal music fan, but unexpectedly, I found this one quite interesting. The album is mainly guitar oriented. It’s powerful, aggressive, violent, dark and rich with very delicious progressive metal motifs (which was very surprising). But most importantly, it never gets boring. The non-standard and complex compositions, musically keep you fresh and stimulated. Most of the time, I wanted to shut my eyes and dream away. And in my opinion, the most successful element in their performance on Madness Incarnate album is how well Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus reflected their emotions into their music.
The album opens with “Traversing The Frozen North”. Very exciting intro as an album opener track. It definitely has a deep, mysterious feeling. You start to feel the North from the first second, its cold, dark and tense. As a part of the whole album concept, the song has a great atmosphere with ups and downs. The footsteps take you to that place, where that mysterious story happened, and leave it to you to picture everything in your head.
Madness Incarnate
The second track is definitely my favorite one; “Madness Incarnate”. This is where everything gets more and more exciting. This song summarizes the whole album, contains all the motifs in a very balanced manner. Full of progressive guitar licks with aggressive vocals, and never loses the Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus atmosphere.
Virgin Essence
The next one is “Virgin Essence”. Melodies of this beautiful clean guitar intro remind me of some Iced Earth, Behemoth and Opeth licks. A typical black metal song with Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus spirit from the beginning to the end.
The fourth song of the album is the most violent one; Immaculate Deconception. Gore, blood, and destruction. Like, trying to wake yourself up from a nightmare, or running away from the devil in your dream. The uncertainty and unexpected changes are always keeping your attention alive. The music and the feeling that Madness Incarnate gives you, never repeat itself. This is what they are special about I guess.
Comte-Sponville is the last song of the album. Such a great experimentation, instrumental song. I loved it. Recording an EP album (Extended Play; musical album under 30 minutes of length) and deciding to put one instrumental-experimental song, which won’t make any label company happy because of its low commercial value. Big respect point! This is why I have great respect for these guys. They didn’t have anything else in their minds, but music. Listening to a melodic black metal record with Gojira-ish, Opeth-like partitions, death metal vocals, progressive, and jazzy guitar licks. What else I can say, simply amazing.
Eventually, this is an album with great value. Guys obviously worked very hard, put so much thought and effort into it. We can also call it; “the period of lifetime”, where they put their bests into notes at the time. It’s well-written, organized and produced. Guitar parties are the superstar with the vocal performance. It’s like, if somebody would have told me that the vocalist is from a very popular death metal band and joined Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus for their new project, I’d believe him. And the only negative thing that I noticed about this album is the recording quality. It could have been much better. Yet, I believe this is not their last one, they have a long journey ahead! I definitely look forward to hearing their next album. Strongly recommended!
http://heavymetaltshirts.net/nihilistinen-barbaarisuus-review-band-interview/
I Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus arrivano dagli Stati Uniti (Philadelphia per la precisione) ed il loro impronunciabile monicker in finlandese (in italiano “barbarie nichilista”) è dovuto al fatto che il chitarrista e tastierista, nonché principale compositore, Mika Mage è originario proprio della terra dei mille laghi. Ed ecco spiegato anche il perché molti dei loro testi (non in questo ma nei precedenti lavori, tra cui i due full length “Synkkä Tuuli” del 2013 e “The Child Must Die” del 2015) sono scritti appunto in quella lingua. “Madness Incarnate” è un breve ep edito in cinquecento copie dall’etichetta russa Symbol Of Domination Productions e ci consegna una band abbastanza interessante, dedita ad un black metal tagliente e glaciale ma con abbondanti squarci tastieristici ed atmosferici, proprio in linea con le migliori produzioni made in Finland, dalle quali riprende anche un certo gusto per la melodia ed il groove. I nostri mettono in mostra un approccio piuttosto folle e, almeno a tratti, un’attitudine velatamente sperimentale (ascoltare per credere il conclusivo episodio acustico dal sapore quasi folk “Comte-Sponville”) che in qualche modo potrebbe farli accostare, sotto diversi aspetti, a realtà come Woods Of Infinity e Circle Of Ouroborus. Stanti queste premesse i Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus risulteranno appetibili più ai sostenitori delle sonorità fredde di estrazione nordeuropea piuttosto che a quelli del sound black a stelle e strisce ma in ogni caso l’ascolto sarà sicuramente piacevole: nell’attesa della prossima prova sulla lunga distanza, il consiglio non può che essere quello di recuperare gli altri lavori della band.
http://www.blackmetalistkrieg.net/?p=2296
Совместное производство: Symbol Of Domination Prod. (сублейбл Сатанат рекордс) и Black Lion Productions (Швеция).
Эмбиентальным блэк металлом пугают эти американцы из Филадельфии. И с первых нот уже понял — наше, родное валят. Начиная со звуков метели и транссибирского бурана. Mika Mage - здесь главный организатор всех побед, а он, кажется, родом из Финляндии, и потому кое-где обозреватели прямо так и пишут «финский БМ из Америки». Время от времени в проекте появляются другие люди, что весьма ответственно со стороны первого командира, ибо один человек не всегда может сделать все ХОРОШО. Я уж не говорю про ИДЕАЛЬНО. Вот и здесь есть пять человек, которые указаны в буклете, что они славно потрудились над этой сагой арктической тьме.
С 12 года закрутился в бушующий ураган этот прожект, и уже выпущены два полноформата и ряд эпишек.
А я вот дам этому проекту такие тэги Северный Зимний БМ. Эмбиентального компонента здесь не так много, и это на радость многим соратникам ))). Мощная репрессивная звуковая атака — это - да, это - пожалуйста, с кайфом и саунд-треком, как в валенках по снегу ходят в сильный холод — тогда снег и хрустит иначе. А финское влияние - это то, что в компо забиты мелодические арматурины. Это есть такое чудесное свойство у некоторых (не у всех, естественно) финских команд, которые любят подкинуть в свой черный костер мелодических дров. Тоже искусство своего рода. Уметь надо сочетать БМ и мелодику, так, чтобы БМ не превратился в дарк металл. Мика умеет.
Он удачно совмещает резвое и борзое гитарное кипение с мелодическим нордическим подкладом, приваривает туда голосовую партию, очень хорошо тембрально ложащуюся на струнную отработку и драмсовое интенсивное рубилово (как на треке 1). А вот когда скорость падает, то прямо создается впечатление, что слушателя заваливает тяжелым снегом. Мелодически композер движется по простым эпическим руслам, давая пространство для фантазии меломана.
Впрочем, когда автор идет на убыстрение, - мелодика, как всегда в БМ, остается на обочине, где она незримо присутствует на уровне подсознания, а творец преподает нам стремительный и мощный блэк. В траке 4 есть спокойный мелодический мост, он-то наверно и выступает компромиссом и противовесом. Ненадолго, ибо скоро компо устремляется скорострельно в северные дали, оставляя за собой только черный угарный след - как от трактора....))))
Пятерка самый спокойный трэк, куда автор ничтоже сумняшеся забрасывает охапку акустики, мелодический хворост и много настроения...
https://vk.com/wall216331265_2851
Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus – zwrot zapożyczony z języka Fińskiego, który w przełożeniu na angielski znaczy tyle, co nihilistic barbarity. Taką własnie nazwę przyjął Amerykański projekt Black Metalowy powstały w 2012 roku. Zespół nagrał dwa pełne albumy i kilka mniejszych wydawnictw. „Madness Incarnate” to ostatnia ich produkcja wydana w 2016 roku. Materiał zawiera 5 utworów klimatycznego, atmosferycznego Black Metalu. Dominują średnie, bujające tempa, zimne gitary generują hipnotyczne, płynące równo riffy, agresywny wokal zaostrza nieco przekaz a obowiązkowy parapet ułożony na równi z pozostałymi instrumentami wzmacnia i podkreśla panujący tu mizantropijny klimat. Tak w zasadzie, to nie wiem do końca jak się ustosunkować do tego materiału. Ani to dobre, ani złe, po prostu przeciętne, przeciętne do bólu i odrobinkę nijakie, jakby pozbawione własnej tożsamości. Nie wiem, jak poprzednie materiały zespołu, gdyż ich nie słyszałem, ale o „Madness Incarnate” z pewnością zapomnę bardzo szybko, w zasadzie to już niewiele z tego pamiętam, a słuchałem tę produkcję dwa razy pod rząd niespełna 45 minut temu. Cóż, taki to już los przeciętnych płyt.
Qui connaît Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus outre-atlantique ? Sûrement pas grand monde. Le groupe compte pourtant plus de vingt mille abonnés sur son compte Facebook ! Étrange… Suffisamment en tout cas pour que je me ré-intéresse de plus près à ce groupe. Deux albums, deux EP, des compositions pas inintéressantes me lancent sur l’étude de ce troisième EP.
Madness Incarnate a l’allure d’un album de Death bien virulent, il n’en est rien. Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus joue dans la cour du BM atmosphérique criard aux relents symphoniques. Si quelques compositions marquent l’esprit par leurs sonorités éclairs et leur esprit scandinave (écoutez à ce propos Immaculate Deconception, dont on appréciera le détournement de « l’immaculé conception » d’ailleurs), l’EP n’est pas très homogène dans son ensemble. On a un peu de mal à suivre la ligne supposément tracée par le groupe pendant les quelques vingt minutes de musique. Je suis tout aussi étonné de voir que la dernière piste se nomme Comte-Sponville, du même nom que l’un de nos illustres philosophe français. Un clin d’œil qui le fera sans doute sourire mais une conclusion néanmoins en demi-teinte de mon côté.
I first encountered “Immaculate Deconception” two-and-a-half years ago when it was released as a single on tape (by the Ukrainian label Depressive Illusions Records), and wrote about it here soon after. Later that year, in a revised recording, it was included on this band’s latest EP, Madness Incarnate, which was released by Symbol of Domination Productions (and is still available through that label on CD, as well as digitally). And now, we all have a chance to revisit this striking song because it has become the basis for a new lyric video that we’re premiering today.
For those who might be discovering Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus through this video for the first time, it is a Philadelphia-based black metal band co-founded by a man of Finnish heritage and dual citizenship (Mika Mage); the band’s name means “nihilistic barbarity”. On Madness Incarnate he composed all the music and performed guitars and synths, enlisting drummer Joffre Videz and bassist Manuel Rodriguez for the recording, and vocal contributions from James Dorton (Black Crown Initiate, Nightfire, Aborted Existence, Antikythera), Joel Robert Thompson (ex-Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus, Omelas), and Gary Hadden (Lesch-Nyhan) — whose voice you’ll hear and whose lyrics you’ll read on “Immaculate Deconception”.
When I first encountered this track, which both recounts and seems to celebrate the bloody unraveling of Christ’s life, I described it as “a juxtaposition of beauty and the beast”, and that still seems a fitting way to introduce the song.
The vocals are ferocious and feral, a changing array of horrid, cavernous roars and lacerating shrieks. And the hammering drums and sandstorm gales of sound have a barbaric quality as well. But the mix of keyboard and guitar melodies are engrossing and memorable, ranging from the intense and urgent to the panoramic.
At times, the music conveys the burning magnificence of a solar storm, especially at the outset (in a sequence reprised near the end), when the melody shines and blazes, but then morphs from a mood of burning chaos to feelings of tension, gloom, and pain. As the storm of sound softens, a rippling guitar arpeggio over a slow bass hum and a subdued drum beat shines in a different and alluring way, and the song further includes raking heavy metal riffs that will get your head going.
As noted above, Madness Incarnate is still available digitally and on CD from Symbol of Domination, and all the songs are well worth your time. With luck, perhaps we will have new music from Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus in the new year.