Review by Rexorcist for Blut aus Nord - The Work Which Transforms God (2003)

I demand quite a few things from any album I listen to: a strong and healthy sound, balance between variety and consistency, no monotony and perfect production for the type of sound.  It also helps if the album itself is a unique take on its artform.  One of the albums that best describes this balance is Blut Aus Nord's ever-creepy and super-twisty The Work Which Transforms God, which is coming to be one of my all-time favorite albums.

Blut Aus Nord were always trying to do something new and melodic ever since their debut, but they were stylistically just another atmo-group for the most part.  The heavier industrial and experimental touches on this very diversified album set them apart s one of the best things black metal had to offer, maybe even the best.  Even though black metal was originally the staple of Norway, black metal is such an easy sound to replicate that it's worldwide.  But making an incredible black metal album loaded with influences and different types of songs going through a consistent and always disturbing 50 minutes is a difficult process.  This album made it look easy by properly inserting disturbing sounds and perfectly fitting black metal vocals with excellent production.

In helping with rating this, I had finished At the Heart of Winter again and decided to play the latest Blut Aus Nord album at the time of this review: Disharmonium - Nahab.  Well, I started it, but I wanted to compare it to this album, so I stopped it and finished this, and then finished Nahab.  This album is a major step forward for black metal, and does its own thing without losing the band's spirit or the heart that made black metal what it is.