Review by Xephyr for Blut aus Nord - Ultima Thulée (1995)

Trudging Through Frozen Wastes

Blut Aus Nord arrived on the Black Metal scene right on the heels of Varg Vikernes (Burzum) in the mid-90's and through this impressive debut created a new and different path for Atmospheric Black Metal that trudges through the same snow drifts as Burzum, but with better equipment and more aggression. While Burzum's Hvis lyset tar oss slowly trances the listener into experiencing a certain atmosphere, Ultima Thulée throws the listener directly into the storm with its more aggressive and raw riffs and less repetitive structure. There's more anger and spite as Vindsval constantly howls in the distance as harsh but intricate Black Metal riffing and a surprising amount of charming melodies transport the listener to a different world, as Atmospheric Black Metal should. 

A lot of my amazement with this early Black Metal albums is how well these solo artists are able to use the low production quality to their advantage, creating a sound that should be awful to listen to, but somehow stands the test of time and just feels more despondent and emotional than most Atmospheric Black Metal of modern times. At this time Blut Aus Nord only had one member plus a session bassist, much like Burzum, so these two singular guys managed to create genre defining albums extremely early in their career that are still unique and appreciated to this day. That's pretty amazing in my opinion, since Atmospheric Black Metal has turned out to be a very difficult genre to really nail down how exactly to create a good atmosphere. 

Blut Aus Nord's atmosphere comes from raw aggression and bleak synth melodies, a perfect example being the ending of "The Last Journey Of Ringhorn" with its rumbling chug riff and contrasting synth. This aggression and more direct approach is performed extremely well, with chaotic riffs somehow still having sweeping and memorable melodies to them, especially the second half of "From Hildskjalf" and "The Plain of Ida". Ultima Thulée strikes a perfect balance of being a loud lo-fi mess but still being perfectly clear and intriguing to listen to. The vocals can get to be a little much after a while, but they certainly fit the album's theme and only add to the experience if you're willing to sit through them. "My Prayer Beyond Ginnungagap" and "Rigsthula" are also fantastic intermissions that offer a much needed moment of respite and feel right at home in the album. 

Since I didn't really enjoy Blut Aus Nord's 2019 release Hallucinogen, it's been quite the experience going all the way back to their roots and seeing how proficient Vindsval was in the beginning of his career. He created something special with this debut that made me realize that I definitely prefer this style of Atmospheric Black Metal over the Burzum style of Hvis lyset tar oss, even though I gave both albums the same score at the time of writing this review. There's something about the heaviness and increased complexity of Ultima Thulée that keeps me more engaged and drags me into its dark and bleak world.