Reviews list for Blut aus Nord - Hallucinogen (2019)

Blut aus Nord are one of those bands who seem to attract a lot of pretentious twaddle, but the simple fact is that they are a very accomplished black metal band who like to develop their sound, are unafraid to incorporate influences from outside the BM world and don't like to stand still. This album seems to have ruffled a few feathers, being a bit more accessible than a lot of BaN's material, but f**k that, this is a damn fine melodic, atmospheric, black metal album with some psychedelic influences (although not too much) even featuring some nice choral moments. The music is soaring and sweeping and the production is spot on. Sure it is superficially akin to a number of modern atmo-black releases, but the sheer songwriting and technical superiority of the band are evident from the get-go, elevating this far above the general BM hoi-polloi.

BAN are at the point in their discography where they can basically release anything they want and nobody would bat an eyelid.  Despite all manner of atmospheric BM, industrial influences and progressive stylings being present throughout their history, for "Hallucinogen" the group have somewhat managed to go back to basics.  It is hard to listen through this and not think of "Memoria Vetusta" era BAN.  The melodies are so crisp and clear, the riffs infectious as opposed to just abrasive and the vocals so detached it almost like they really wanted to write an instrumental record.

There's a huge amount to take in here still.  In spite of the cleaner feel to proceedings it is no less vast in scope.  "Hallucinogen" still demands your attention just as much as "MoRT" or "The Work Which Transforms God" does, just for different reasons.  The structures that are being built here are simple in appearance yet intricate in delivery, the looping and psychedelic guitar melody to 'Sybelius" is one example of this as it wraps itself around your brain, clinging there for days.

The dreamy and slow picked start to 'Anthosmos' soon breaks to become a positively inter-stellar melodious affair as it builds and transforms itself into a central piece de resistance of the album.  For the more traditional BM fan there's still the rampant aggression of 'Mahagma' to whet the appetite but this too relies heavily on dreamy and psychedelic vocals to give it edge.

BAN continue to be a challenging listen with each new record and at the same time manage to remain relevant and always attached to their roots at the same time.