The project's most critically acclaimed release is The Work Which Transforms God, a concept album which - in spite of being mostly instrumental with none of the lyrics made public - is meant to challenge the listener's prejudices and preconceptions about reality, life and various metaphysical subjects. The Work Which Transforms God has been almost unanimously praised in reviews and was named by Terrorizer Magazine as its number one album of 2003.
Blut aus Nord have dissociated themselves from nationalism, proclaiming a kinship with "environmentalist black metal" bands such as Wolves in the Throne Room.
Major releases from Blut aus Nord include
- Ultima Thulée 1995 (melodic black metal)
- Memoria Vetusta I: Fathers of The Icy Age 1996 (melodic black metal)
- The Mystical Beast Of Rebellion 2001 (black metal)
- The Work Which Transforms God 2003 (Industrial/ambient/black metal)
- Thematic Emanation of Archetypal Multiplicity (EP) (industrial metal, ambient, electronic)
- Metamorphosis of Realistic Theories 2006 (industrial, black metal, avant-garde)
- Odinist - The Destruction of Reason by Illumination 2007 (black metal)
- Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue With The Stars 2009 (avant-garde, melodic black metal)
- What Once Was... Liber I (EP) (black/death metal, avant-garde)
- 777 - Sect(s) 2011 (avant-garde, industrial, black metal)
- 777 - The Desanctification 2011 (avant-garde, industrial, black metal)
- What Once Was... Liber II 2012 (EP) (black/death metal, avant-garde)
- 777 - Cosmosophy 2012 (avant-garde, industrial metal)
- What Once Was... Liber III 2013 (EP) (black/death metal, avant-garde)
- Debemur Morti 2014 (EP) (industrial, black metal)
- Triunity 2014 (split with P.H.O.B.O.S.) (industrial, black metal)
- Memoria Vetusta III: Saturnian Poetry - 2014 (avant-garde, melodic black metal)
- Codex obscura nomina - 2016 (split with Ævangelist) (industrial, black metal)
- Deus salutis meæ - 2017 (industrial, black metal)
- Hallucinogen (avant-garde, melodic black metal, progressive metal)
Our Blessed Frozen Cells
Blut aus Nord Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
As the lyrics for Blut aus Nord's song "The Howling of God" are unavailable, I can only provide an interpretation based on the title and overall sound of the song. The title suggests a religious or spiritual theme, with the concept of God howling possibly indicating anguish or pain. The heavy, distorted sound of the music could represent the brutality of the emotions being expressed.
The absence of lyrics allows the listener to interpret the song in their own way, using their own experiences and emotions. It invites the listener to become an active participant in the music, rather than simply a passive observer. The distorted, intense sound of the song creates a visceral, emotional response that taps into primal feelings and instincts.
In terms of interesting facts about the song, Blut aus Nord is a French black metal band that has been active since 1994. They are known for their experimental approach, incorporating elements of industrial, ambient, and avant-garde music into their sound. They have released over a dozen albums, and "The Howling of God" appears on their 2017 album "Deus Salutis Meae."
Contributed by Stella T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Trevor fulton
This is the only album that has ever actually changed my life in one way or another, as cliche as that sounds. In this review i want to try to explain why i think this album works so well, and the mechanisms at work underneath the dissonance.
So, lets step back a bit. The reason i love black metal is, to me, it is more about a "feeling" rather than a "sound", and this album portrays bleak and apocalyptic despair the best i have ever heard. Whats peculiar is that there really isnt much traditional black metal in this, if any at all. Think of this as more of an experimental Doom/industrial work with a black metal paint job. Sure, the high raspy vocals are there, and there are instances of tremolo picking, but this album succeeds in not only pulverizing what we all thought black metal was supposed to sound like, but re-invented it to show us what it COULD be. Dont forget, this was in 2003, well before Deathspell Omega did anything to "re-invent the genre" (no hate on DsO, but i notice people give them so much more credit then they really deserve)
I think the most underrated aspect of this entire album is the production, seriously, it holds up about 70% of the strength of this album, and ive not heard anyone mention it. People tend to think that black metal is supposed to sound like it was recorded with a toys 'r Us microphone, and i get the lo-fi aesthetic that that sound can bring, but this...THIS is by far the BEST production of any metal album ive ever heard. The sound stage is massive, with this huge wall of sound, yet maintains intimate dynamic range, to the point where if you turn up the sound at very high volumes, not only is it a clean and smooth sound, but you will notice things you didnt even hear the first ten times listening, such as ghastly choirs, clicking, howling, thunder, wind, etc. For real, i hear something new EVERY time i listen to this album.
Continuing with the production, this album does something so subtle yet so effective when it comes to bludgeoning submission and fear into the listener. Mid-song, this album will suddenly change its mixing, from claustrophobic, to suddenly booming and open. On the song "The Choir of the Dead" at about the 1:50 mark, the drums are suddenly pulled from the back of the sound stage to the very front, and just like that the percussion is booming around your head, as if goliaths were walking around your room. Ive never experienced this effect in any other song/music, and upon hearing it the first time, it gave me this primal fight-or-flight response, it made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. Please, for the love of lucifer himself, you owe it to yourself to listen to this album with either good headphones or a good speaker/subwoofer setup.
Next on why i think this album works so well, is the actual instrumentation and playing of the songs. These songs are VERY experimental, almost "progressive" specifically when it comes to the arrangements and time signatures. Almost every song in this album is made of odd time signatures. Take "metamorphosis" for example. Just in the beginning minute and a half alone, it putters along at 11/4, to 9/4 and then to 5/4. Add to this the best use of a drum machine ive ever heard. In most cases, i feel like a drum machine is only used out of either financial necessity or laziness. But here, the fact a robot/program is playing only adds to the inhuman and apathetic flavor of the entire album. The drum programming is so complex and disorienting, youll never be able to follow the snare on the 2nd and 3rd beat like youre ear has been trained to with 99% of all other music. Right when you think a snare or bass kick will anchor the down beat, it holds for one more beat, or hits a beat earlier than you thought it would. It is such an effective way to give the listener anxiety, and bring about this cold indifferent feeling.
Lastly, i want to praise the variety this album offers. Its not just "slow machine dissonance" the entire time, each song paints its own picture in a unique way. "the Choir of the Dead" is an aggressive start to the album, which (as i mentioned before) suddenly pulls its sheet out from under you midway though and pounds the drumming into your head, and then goes into a malignant industrial beat. "axis" begins with a straight forward tremolo black metal blast beat, and howling screams, but soon you notice thunder striking in the background, and half way through the song, the guitars sound like a buzzing dissonant hoard of wasps flying around you. "Metamorphosis" is the second slowest song on the album, and begins with a siren, the entire song feels like looking at a photo of an old industrial city melting down your wall, especially with the use of discordant odd time signature changes.
By far the BEST song i think Blut Aus Nord ever made is "Our Blessed Frozen Cells". It begins with a broken riff, which repeats for about 2 minutes, until you head the 3 minute mark and the song just....stops, and you get a minute of dreadful industrial ambience. At 4:10, you get the only "break" on the entire album. The song explodes back into form, the time is in 4/4, the drums finally match up, and the guitars melody sounds like a goddamn tornado siren. It is hauntingly beautiful. Its like youre getting the much needed break from broken machines and can finally rest, but only for a moment.
The album ends with another highlight, "the Procession of Dead Clowns". It is an instrumental, and the most simple and slow song on the entire album, but that isnt a bad thing. The song is only made up of a few chords repeated for 9 minutes. If i could put a sound to "giving up" and "regret" this song would be it. Its like the album is telling you "hey, you made it to the end, but you are worse off for it",
Thank you for reading my review. This album means so much to me, i got it tattooed onto my arm, and ive yet to show anyone (even non black metal fans) this album where they werent either impressed or blown away by it.
Apophis
I love the riff that kicks in at 4:13. I listen to this when I meditate and journey inward to the jungles of my subconscious. This piece of music is like transcendental illumination.
SuckYourBone
i think ill cut it off and upload separately
solarfall1683
Sometimes you have to dig through some earth to find the gems, that's true. But that's why we're here for.
Trevor fulton
This is the only album that has ever actually changed my life in one way or another, as cliche as that sounds. In this review i want to try to explain why i think this album works so well, and the mechanisms at work underneath the dissonance.
So, lets step back a bit. The reason i love black metal is, to me, it is more about a "feeling" rather than a "sound", and this album portrays bleak and apocalyptic despair the best i have ever heard. Whats peculiar is that there really isnt much traditional black metal in this, if any at all. Think of this as more of an experimental Doom/industrial work with a black metal paint job. Sure, the high raspy vocals are there, and there are instances of tremolo picking, but this album succeeds in not only pulverizing what we all thought black metal was supposed to sound like, but re-invented it to show us what it COULD be. Dont forget, this was in 2003, well before Deathspell Omega did anything to "re-invent the genre" (no hate on DsO, but i notice people give them so much more credit then they really deserve)
I think the most underrated aspect of this entire album is the production, seriously, it holds up about 70% of the strength of this album, and ive not heard anyone mention it. People tend to think that black metal is supposed to sound like it was recorded with a toys 'r Us microphone, and i get the lo-fi aesthetic that that sound can bring, but this...THIS is by far the BEST production of any metal album ive ever heard. The sound stage is massive, with this huge wall of sound, yet maintains intimate dynamic range, to the point where if you turn up the sound at very high volumes, not only is it a clean and smooth sound, but you will notice things you didnt even hear the first ten times listening, such as ghastly choirs, clicking, howling, thunder, wind, etc. For real, i hear something new EVERY time i listen to this album.
Continuing with the production, this album does something so subtle yet so effective when it comes to bludgeoning submission and fear into the listener. Mid-song, this album will suddenly change its mixing, from claustrophobic, to suddenly booming and open. On the song "The Choir of the Dead" at about the 1:50 mark, the drums are suddenly pulled from the back of the sound stage to the very front, and just like that the percussion is booming around your head, as if goliaths were walking around your room. Ive never experienced this effect in any other song/music, and upon hearing it the first time, it gave me this primal fight-or-flight response, it made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. Please, for the love of lucifer himself, you owe it to yourself to listen to this album with either good headphones or a good speaker/subwoofer setup.
Next on why i think this album works so well, is the actual instrumentation and playing of the songs. These songs are VERY experimental, almost "progressive" specifically when it comes to the arrangements and time signatures. Almost every song in this album is made of odd time signatures. Take "metamorphosis" for example. Just in the beginning minute and a half alone, it putters along at 11/4, to 9/4 and then to 5/4. Add to this the best use of a drum machine ive ever heard. In most cases, i feel like a drum machine is only used out of either financial necessity or laziness. But here, the fact a robot/program is playing only adds to the inhuman and apathetic flavor of the entire album. The drum programming is so complex and disorienting, youll never be able to follow the snare on the 2nd and 3rd beat like youre ear has been trained to with 99% of all other music. Right when you think a snare or bass kick will anchor the down beat, it holds for one more beat, or hits a beat earlier than you thought it would. It is such an effective way to give the listener anxiety, and bring about this cold indifferent feeling.
Lastly, i want to praise the variety this album offers. Its not just "slow machine dissonance" the entire time, each song paints its own picture in a unique way. "the Choir of the Dead" is an aggressive start to the album, which (as i mentioned before) suddenly pulls its sheet out from under you midway though and pounds the drumming into your head, and then goes into a malignant industrial beat. "axis" begins with a straight forward tremolo black metal blast beat, and howling screams, but soon you notice thunder striking in the background, and half way through the song, the guitars sound like a buzzing dissonant hoard of wasps flying around you. "Metamorphosis" is the second slowest song on the album, and begins with a siren, the entire song feels like looking at a photo of an old industrial city melting down your wall, especially with the use of discordant odd time signature changes.
By far the BEST song i think Blut Aus Nord ever made is "Our Blessed Frozen Cells". It begins with a broken riff, which repeats for about 2 minutes, until you head the 3 minute mark and the song just....stops, and you get a minute of dreadful industrial ambience. At 4:10, you get the only "break" on the entire album. The song explodes back into form, the time is in 4/4, the drums finally match up, and the guitars melody sounds like a goddamn tornado siren. It is hauntingly beautiful. Its like youre getting the much needed break from broken machines and can finally rest, but only for a moment.
The album ends with another highlight, "the Procession of Dead Clowns". It is an instrumental, and the most simple and slow song on the entire album, but that isnt a bad thing. The song is only made up of a few chords repeated for 9 minutes. If i could put a sound to "giving up" and "regret" this song would be it. Its like the album is telling you "hey, you made it to the end, but you are worse off for it",
Thank you for reading my review. This album means so much to me, i got it tattooed onto my arm, and ive yet to show anyone (even non black metal fans) this album where they werent either impressed or blown away by it.
Alex M
This was a great read. This album impacted me in a similar way. I have this thing that I enjoy reading books while listening to ambient and atmospheric music. I decided to choose this album to pair with Cormac McCarthy's "The Road", and the apocalyptic tone that you described in your explanation fit perfectly with the story. It was almost as the album was created to be the soundtrack of the book.
Either way, I ended up loving both the book and this album equally as much, and this is my favorite track off the album.
Thanks for your beautiful review.
Cheers!
Ahmet Emin Erdoğan
Man seriously I think only some special people get to understand and ferl this music truly in their veins. It is such a niche style. Every time I listen to this band I feel whole, cleansed and peaceful as if it meditates me.
DerelictEarth
Incredible how such beauty can arise from this dark, muddy and ugly album. This is a true masterpiece, as is the last song.
Dan O'Bannon
is this a troll? 9/10 here's your reply!
Emilian Toutkewicz
This is Pure Excellence, Spiritual, Occult, PERFECT
Javier Villegas
What a crushing track. So good..