Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Blut aus Nord - 777 - Cosmosophy (2012)

The final forty-five minutes of the 777 trilogy plays like a known/visible summit that still heralds the promise of further lands to explore beyond its initial confines. The only release of the three albums that make up the set that I initially struggled with, the closing 777 offering is the most devious of the lot. Taking some of the more obscure elements and allowing then more clarity and prominence in proceedings (the spoken word opening to Epitome XV, for example), it feels in so many ways like an appropriate culmination of the experimentation the set has explored.

Offering new beginnings and the window most certainly for endless ongoing thought as to what could possibly come next, Cosmosophy again champions a more accessible delivery ahead of cold and abrasive conventional bm which this time around also pairs back the density of the atmospheres. They are far more ethereal and grander here, appearing to be fed by the instrumentation as opposed to elevating it as on The Desanctification. This seems to create more space than on previous releases but the desire to fill that with the more complex and arcane strains of the BAN repertoire seems to have been satiated by this point. Simplicity rules the day here. Extending the duration of passages and allowing repetition or deliberately laboured pacing to carry the momentum forwards.

You could arguably look at this theme of basics in more than one way. Is it the hallmark of the release of death or perhaps the wonder of the start of a new life? I personally do not have the time or inclination to explore such philosophical musings, but my point still stands, Cosmosophy makes you think. It is the brightest light in the trilogy overall and even the most nihilistic parts of my being cannot deny that this more positive environment is alluring (I avoided the use of “welcoming” as after all this is BAN and the guard always needs to be up of course), especially at the end of listening to the full 777 album set back-to-back this morning.

 As a trilogy, the 777 albums not only offer an exploration of intense philosophical, mythological, and sociological themes, they also show the full extent of the BAN armoury. It is hard to leave the bm tag against Cosmosophy unchallenged as the album has far more post-metal elements at its core than any bm roots being consistently visible. It avoids going all “gazey” thankfully though and cements BAN’s status as one of the most challenging extreme music artists out there.