Nigredo – Flesh Torn – Spirit Pierced

Band – Nigredo

Album – Flesh Torn – Spirit Pierced

Country of Origin – Greece

Genre – Black Metal

Release Date – April 15th, 2018

Label – Transcending Obscurity Records

Author – Hayduke X

Sometimes it’s difficult to find the right words to describe a particular album. I’ve been having just such trouble with Flesh Torn – Spirit Pierced as I sit here on my couch on the day of release trying to find the correct words. It is with this mea culpa that I ask you to forgive me if this review is a little more scattered than my normal fare. Let me begin by sharing a few points that come to mind and then, hopefully, the review will begin to flow.

• This album is incredibly dense, in a very good way. The layers of the layers have layers, or so it seems.
• The riffing on this album is incredible, but subtly so. I didn’t notice it at first. The composition, arrangement, and mix are so spot on that the riffs don’t draw your attention away from the whole, and that’s as it should be.
• The drummer is a maniac.
• I have grown to really love the vocalist’s style, though it hit me as just serviceable at first.
  

Another point that I’ve been wrestling with takes a bit more explanation, so I’ll house it in a full paragraph. Let me start with the general. Greek black metal, I style I really love, has never seemed as intense to me as some of the other black metal scenes around the world. I have posited that this may be due to differences in ancient Greek mysticism versus Christian tradition. Specifically, Hades, as I understand it, certainly has some horrifying parts to it, but also sections that are downright wonderful. Hell is, well, hell any way you look at it. That allows for a little more warmth among the fiery destruction. Nigredo does not follow this pattern at all. I can hear some stylistic references to Hellenic black metal, but Flesh Torn – Spirit Pierced is fierce beyond measure. You wouldn’t want to meet this album in a dark alley….

With the strength of a burly dockworker, the fierce aggression of a Spartan warrior, and the precision of an ancient ninja, Nigredo howl forth with a furious black attack. The moments when they slow down a bit are there merely to disorient you. In no way do they allow a breather. Flesh Torn – Spirit Pierced is an exceptional album

Recommendation:  A wonderful, wonderful nightmare. Consistent terror.

Rating:  5/5