Aura Noir: Out to Die

When my friend, Zahid, introduced me to Aura Noir years ago (Black Thrash Attack- before I was married, come to think of it) I thought those lads were trapped. Uniquely trapped between black metal's bleak life philosophy & thrash's bold self-appeasement. It's not exactly refreshing, this genre, but interesting. You couldn't separate the elements clearly but upon listening, the difference were there for discerning listeners. Fast forward 2012, Aura Noir's back, more so for guitar alchemist, Blasphemer. Yes, it's the same Blasphemer who used to brew Mayhem's music. All due respect to the band, I gave 2008's Hades Rise a miss due to Blasphemer's absence- the guitar appeal just wasn't there for me. But Out to Die is something else, not to say that Blasphemer's presence made the entire difference but the guitar arrangements here are more focused & delivered with that authoritative swagger befitting of Aura Noir- one of metal's most self-observing bands, delivering music for music's sake. 

Any excessive guitar twiddling here? There were occasions but not too self-indulging. Blasphemer & Aggressor dished out the guitars on a balanced platform but those detailed phrasings (Trenches/ Fed to the Flames/ Out to Die); that's Blasphemer's authority making the music attention-grabbing. But this is Aura Noir, not the spotlight return of Blasphemer, mind you. He was absent in the previous offering due to working commitments & residential issues not dimensional differences between the members- let's make that clear.

Mayhem: Blasphemer (Part 2)

After Mayhem's performance, I made it a point ot talk to Blasphemer during the autograph session. The crowd who stayed behind to do so was small so after Blasphemer put marker to poster, I lingered on for some music-related talk...

He actually has partial endorsements with BC Rich & Ibanez but isn't too particular with the instrument's brand name or parts detail; as long as it's good enough (in terms of feel & tone), he's game. This might be the reason why he didn't mind the back-up Washburn when his Warlock's string snapped during the show. After it was re-strung, he chose to stick with the Washburn (respect!!). His firm fav remains to be his Warlock which, prior to the Singapore date, had seen a neck replacement.

On a personal note, I'm of the opinion that Blasphemer has a knack for individualism/ distinction; I was like four/ five persons back in the queue when he spotted my t-shirt & shouted that it was nice & wanted to know where I got it. I was taken aback actually, believing that I had somehow gotten myself into a merchandise piracy quagmire but it turned out to be otherwise. He was actually appreciative of the fact that I actually spent money to have the Wolf's Lair Abyss promo poster printed- effort reflects dedication; so I found out.

Mayhem: Blasphemer (Part 1)

Two years ago, I witnessed Mayhem's sonic assault here in Singapore; the black metal pioneer was indeed lethal in their live performance in terms of delivery & musicianship. More importantly, I was there to witness how good Blasphemer was.



Blasphemer aka Rune Eriksen, was (still is) a very talented player but not one to highlight his presence by doing a million notes per second solo- the band needed a musician & he was there to propel the band in this context. Blasphemer took guitar playing for Mayhem to a higher level by displaying praise-worthy commitments given his role. Wolf Lair Abyss was the E.P. which brought Mayhem back from the dead. Through this recording, we heard how his guitar multi-tracking proved to the world black metal wasn't about getting away with minimal instrument capacity. Subsequently, A Grand Declaration of War fused black metal's hostility with the decade's avant garde nuances, the product of which was deemed a genius of its time (Listen: A Bloodsword & a Colder Sun Part 1).



Prior to his departure, Blasphemer underscored his intentions with two arguably important releases with the band; Chimera & Ordo Ad Chao. The former showcased his perfectionist practices which were evident in the tight rhythm delivery. Also, the tone purist in him necessitated the lengthy process of an amplifier selection for this recording; if you think black metal is about going lo-fi & quasi-discernible in terms of guitar, with lots of corpse paint to hide the lack of taste, this album proved otherwise. However, having said that, Ordo Ad Chao was indeed lo-fi extravaganza (guitar-wise) but this release's stamped intentionwas that the black metal genre is currently forging an alliance with the artistic (Read: Deathspell Omega) but Ordo Ad Chao was on top of proceedings.

Blasphemer parted ways with Mayhem on 22nd April 2008 & currently in pursuit of personal musical commitments.



To be cont'd...



PS: The pic above were moments before Blasphemer snapped a string & his Warlock made way for a Washburn. If you visit the band's homepage, the pics featuring the Washburn guitar was the Singapore date.