Seven Oracles
Nexion
From their Facebook page, NEXION was formed in Reykjavík in the winter of 2016 with the intent of churning an audio maelstrom of darkness and decay. In the occult, a "nexion" is a portal or gateway to the underworld. "Seven Oracles" contains seven tracks. "Seven Oracles" opens the album, with an undertone of darkness. The vocals are vile, and the aggressive sound never really lets up. The guitars build this wall of murky blackness. "Revelations of Unbeing" has a similar sound and is about the same length as the previous track. The song is very harrowing in nature...very traditional Icelandic Black Metal. I've noticed that bands are either trying to stay true to the roots of the genre or working to expand the genre. NEXION are staying traditional.
"Divine Wind and Holocaust Clouds" opens with a little more energy but those guitars do not venture too far from their safe space. The vocals stay consistent as in the previous tracks, but this album is starting to blend together without much distinction from track to track. "Sanctum Amentiae" opens with a little ambiance, and the chaos doesn't start right away. You can hear the guitars, but they are in the background as the ambiance builds. It a slow build into a familiar frightening sound. "Uttterances of Broken Throats" is a seven-minute beast, with again a familiar sound. It's as if the band wants to re-live the FWOBM, which I can respect, but it just doesn't do much in the way of diversity.
"The Spirit of Black Breath" brings more of the same. I like the harrowing sound, which is one of the main things I like about Black Metal. But there has to be some variation on an album, which this one sorely lacks. "The Last Messiah" is a nine-minute closing song, opening with a quick shot of ambiance before the guitars lay waste to the sound. When they vocals come in, you are just drowned out again by their never-ending intensity. I do rather enjoy the extended instrumental passage that slowly fades out. Overall, as I said, the album just lacks diversity. "True Kvlt" Black Metal fans may appreciate the ode to the founding fathers, but the market is just saturated with this type of album.
5 / 10
Mediocre
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Seven Oracles" Track-listing:
1. Seven Oracles
2. Revelations of Unbeing
3. Divine Wind and Holocaust Clouds
4. Sanctum Amentiae
5. Utterances of Broken Throats
6. The Spirit of Black Breath
7. The Last Messiah
Nexion Lineup:
Kári Pálsson - Bass
Óskar Rúnarsson - Guitar
Jóhannes Smári Smárason - Guitar
Josh Rood - Vocals
Sigurður Jakobsson - Drums
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