Album Review: Nazghor – Seventh Secular Crusade (Self Released)

Nazghor emerged on a dark winter night in November 2012 from the unholy city of Uppsala. Since then, Nazghor has released six albums bringing a pure, and still melodic, black metal of death. The band has toured and played at several festivals across Europe as well as acting as support band for Batushka and Uada. Now, Nazghor’s seventh album ‘Seventh Secular Crusade’ will be released on the 25th of November 2022.

Nazghor comments:

Seventh Secular Crusade is a massive experience of darkness and light. This is our best record to date, and we could not be more ready to share the result with you. It has everything that people expect from Nazghor, excellent melodies, dark atmosphere and raw power. We have raised the bar in both song writing and production. We believe in this album, and we want to make sure that no one miss the opportunity to witness our greatest opus.

Nazghor have been proudly calling this their best work to date. Which is par for the course when any band releases a new record. However, here there is more merit than usual. Even if you’re unfamiliar with the melodic blackened sound the band offers, one listen will make it perfectly clear that this is a damn fine record.

A record filled with frenzied black metal, given a fresh twist, thanks to melodic guitars and powerful atmosphere. It’s black metal but a much more exciting version of it. Credit to Nazghor who infuse elements of death throughout to create orgies of chaos. Look no further than the likes of Massive Omen Paradox and Fulminating Fire. Both tracks dripping in twisted and evil vibes but capable of getting the head well and truly banging.

Furiously intense, A Crown Soaked in Blood sees Nazghor reaching deeply into the pits of hell to pull out diabolical riffs, mind-altering melody and fiendish vocals. This track capped off with a short, but unexpectedly pleasing guitar solo. Before Sons of Shadows has Nazghor attacking with all their heavy might. A track heavy enough to snap necks through the sheer intensity of the head-banging it causes.

The immense blackened metal sounds this focused band showcases continues into the slower, darker moments of Beyond the Grave. Something wicked is crawling out of the dirt and all you can do is listen in abject horror, especially as Nazghor enhance their cinematic melodies. Something that bleeds into the wailing and gnashing of black metal that comes from Primordial Lineage. Nazghor bringing more cinematic touches to their unmitigated ferocity. A vicious assault of blackened heaviness that has a much more modern approach. The familiar intensity of the instrumentation and vocals meet no resistance from the grandiose depth that gives the track so much more life.

This exceptional album is then wrapped up with the stunning title track. Where emotion meets intensity and the exhaustive detail both depresses and elates. It is the finest track on the album which says a lot when you consider the album as a whole is outstanding. Here’s hoping that Nazghor start to get their dues because music this good deserves a lot more attention.

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