Nigrum - Blood Worship Extremism

Nigrum is a black band from Mexico, who formed in 2015.  Their latest release, “Blood Worship Extremism,” is their second full-length album; they have also released two EPs and a demo. 

This is a very powerful album. It's raw, energetic, and visceral as hell. From beginning to end, the album is perpetually moving forward.Its movement has purpose though. The blackened fury is used as a tool to propel the songwriting, not become It. It's riff based with a sterling instrumentation that makes it sound much more mature than most raw black metal. But It still sounds primitive and underground, in the best ways possible. 

It opens with the title track, a statement unto itself. The bass throbs along with the drums, the two instruments creating as much chaos as an earthquake. The wild and chaotic nature of the song sets the tone for the rest of the album.  It also represents the idea that even though black metal in its purest form is raw and evil, that doesn’t mean songwriting has to take a back seat.

“Where Mountains Collide,” immediately grabbed me with the clever pacing and, especially, the placement of the cymbal assault.  The crashes hit at the right moment, like streaks of lighting cascading through a stormy sky.  A heavy dose of groove holds the song together so that even in its most harrowing moments, it still sounds cohesive and direct. Around the halfway mark, the tempo changes along with the bass and guitar tones.    Moments like this make the album a real roller coaster ride…one that only ends in dismemberment and bloodletting. 

“Splendor of the Old World,” is one of my favorites on the album.  I love how the static riffs hang in the atmosphere while the drums build up the tension.  This song has a real old school energy to it, the guitar/bass tone is biting and deep without losing anything in its unbridled fury. The later half of the song is a little more open, pulling back on the tempo and letting the atmosphere leak through just enough.  The bass is mesmerizing and haunting as it takes over and leads the song to a strong finish. 

The final song is the badass “Murderer Dweller,” which sounds about like you would expect: total fucking carnage.  If there was a soundtrack to someone falling down a flighty of spike-covered stairs, this would be it.  The song is at its most powerful when the drums and riffs hit a sweet spot of groove at the same time, upping the aggression and being catchy all at the same time. 

Ultimately, with “Blood Worship Extremism,” Nigrum has crafted an old-school, no-frills black metal album that defies its own worship and becomes engrossing to a high degree.