Written By Kevin McSweeney
Whenever I see an album due to be released by the Season of Mist label popping up in my inbox, I know instantly that I’m not going to be disappointed.
When the album in question comes from one of the most celebrated names in German black metal, a project with a nigh on three decade pedigree, then its quality is virtually guaranteed.
Apocalyptic Steel, which was released on June 26th, is Nargaroth’s eighth full-length album in a back catalogue that is filled also with EPs, live albums and other releases besides.
To explain how, I’m going to quote directly from the press release, not least because I’m a lazy fucker:
Apocalyptic Steel is a record that refused to stay buried. Tracked in a single weekend at Trident Studios in Pacheco, California, in September of 2014, the album sat forgotten on a hard drive in the United States while Era of Threnody took priority.
One might assume that its placement on the back burner might suggest an inferior quality of music, but this would not be fair.
Rather, it was aging in the cellar like a fine wine or whiskey, and alcohol is among the themes covered, but more on that later. The press release continues:
This is not a vault curiosity. It is Nargaroth at its most direct: nine tracks of filthy, unadorned metal built on the attitude of old Judas Priest, Accept, Deicide and Obituary.
And indeed there are references to many such luminaries in the album’s lyrics. Again, more on that later.
The press release concludes by stating that the album was: “Recorded fast, recorded dirty, and finished on its own terms.” Now, if you’ll indulge me, I’ll review it on Metal Lair’s own terms, track-by-track.
INTRO
This is a short and discomfiting affair, consisting of blood-curdling screams that sound not entirely unlike the climactic throes of passion.
It feels like I’ve opened one of those seemingly innocuous links that are designed to cause embarrassment in a public setting. This is the one track on the album I’d maybe advise you to skip.
STEEL APOCALYPSE
Definitely don’t skip this one! The sort-of title track delivers exactly what fans of that most sinister of subgenres would want, in the form of lightning-fast blast beats, carpal tunnel syndrome-inducing tremolo picked riffs and chilling shrieks seemingly emanating from a winged demon circling above.
The clarity of the bell of the ride cymbal on the blast beat is a joy to behold from a drummer’s perspective. My compliments to the producer!
The YouTuber Kevin Balke posited the theory a few years ago that black metal minus distortion bears an uncanny resemblance to surf rock.
He performed songs by such luminaries as Darkthrone and Emperor with a clean guitar sound in a video to illustrate the point. The main riff of Steel Apocalypse would have been a worthy addition to his list.
Lyrically, it reads like the poetry of John Donne. I’m quite serious. Take for example the opening lines:
The whispers yond the shadows weep
shall burn in the abyss.
And all the love thee didst taketh
mere a poison’d Judas kisseth.
OK, so this is undermined slightly by the next line being: “Ain’t nothing but a thing for me”, but for a moment, I felt like I was back in University.
TWISTED STEEL
I am a Motherfucker of
Twisted Steel and Sex Appeal
I find this rhyming couplet every bit as pleasing as the “glittering prizes and endless compromises” referenced in Spirit of Radio by Rush. OK, so it’s not quite the euphonic eloquence one would associate with Neil Peart’s lyrics, but it’s just as effective.
Musically, it’s very much in keeping with the spirit of the previous track, with blast beats from Phil Cancilla that defy the limits of human capability, and classic black metal riffs with the spectre of Kevin Balke and his blackened surf rock never far away.
There’s a few references in the lyrics to metal classics. Orgasmatron and Overkill are mentioned, in tribute to Motorhead, and “the mouth of War” is possibly a nod to the bastion of belligerent that opens Pantera’s iconic 1992 album Vulgar Display of Power. There’s almost certainly other examples that I’ve missed. I’m old, and slightly doolally; do excuse me.
I DRINK ALONE
Been there many times. Bad road to go down. Once again, the classic black metal formula serves them well. (Back off, Balke!)
That said, I love the lapse into waltz time for the chorus, in which the title is chanted repeatedly. It reminds me of the way that time signature is utilised by The Beatles in We Can Work it Out.
(I accidentally typed that as “We Can Wok it Out” initially, and I now have a great idea for a Chinese takeaway in Liverpool.) The use of a simple three-chord riff as a primary focus in the song adds an element of punk to proceedings.
The rhyme of “hellbound” and “fool-crowned” is even more in the style of Peart’s poetry than the one I mentioned previously, and every bit as delightful. The lyrical pièce de résistance, however, is the following couplet:
Her heart was closed, her legs were not,
Her cheating heart made mine stop.
Once again, John Donne springs to mind. I’m thinking in particular of his poem The Flea, which is quite a bawdy bit of verse.
METALHEART
The title sounds like a nickname The Tin Man might have been given by the Wizard of Oz when he was handing out the trinkets, having been exposed as a “humbug”.
The press release describes the song as a: “…band-name-studded battle cry,” and that sums it up well. The lyrics are festooned with the names of other bands in tribute to the artists that inspired Ash and the boys.
(I seem to remember the Swedish rap metal group Clawfinger doing something similar once. I can’t remember the song, and even basic research is beyond me.)
They’ve taken the style of music back to a time before black metal, with the proto-extreme metal sound bearing a striking resemblance to the likes of Venom and Celtic Frost, neither of whom are mentioned in the song. They probably should be.
The refrain of “metal never dies” is one with which we wholeheartedly agree. At least, we hope it won’t die. What else are we going to write about if it does? So, as the lyrics state: “play it out loud, make Lemmy proud!” It’s a lot of fun, this track, and thus it’s in stark contrast to the next song.
DRESDEN
There was a controversy. We’re not going to go into it. I couldn’t help wondering if a song with this as its title was a wise choice, however.
Looking at the lyrics, though, reminds me that, even in the most just of wars, there may be atrocities committed on both sides, and that it is right to acknowledge the suffering of innocent people on either side of the conflict.
If it seems like I’m deploying the language of diplomacy and glossing over things somewhat, that’s because I am.
The arpeggiated riff that follows the air raid siren is sombre and beautiful. The harmonised clean baritone vocals are mournful and poignant.
There’s a similar vibe to Metallica’s The Unforgiven, even if the songs do not sound alike. The knell-like chime of a bell brings a sombre song to a solemn end.
SHELTER THE FAITHLESS
It’s very good of them to offer shelter to Faithless. Insomnia was a banger, but they haven’t had many hits since the early 2000s, so they might be struggling a bit for accommodation.
The track begins with a slow, doom-laden riff, underpinned with rolling kick drums and some intricate ride cymbal work. It’s all a bit Bolt Thrower-meets-Obituary.
There’s a riff in there that sounds somewhat incongruous played at a slower pace.
It’s busy enough to suggest it should be accompanied by a blast beat, but it’s not an issue.
It’s slower throughout, with a coda that is pure Obituary, sounding almost like a cut from The Eng Complete.
Once again, there’s some fine lyrical footwork to be found in this anti-religious diatribe. For example:
Old wisdom comes
in unknown tongues
that speaketh not to men
who fear of what becomes
Ancient wisdom lore
of dead bloodlines of yore
cold entombed in the
womb of Babylon’s Whore
Exquisite, isn’t it? The style of verse brings William Blake to mind more than John Donne on this occasion.
If I remember rightly, Bruce Dickinson’s solo album The Chemical Wedding drew inspiration from Blake, so he’s a poet with a solid metal pedigree.
MAN OF MAYHEM
The title poses questions. Given that this album is, in many respects, a love letter to the artists who inspired Ash, could a song called Man of Mayhem be a tribute to the slain Euronymous?
Looking at the lyrics, it seems to be more a tribute to the late Kevin Samuels. More accurately, it is a tribute to men who go through unseen struggles and still survive.
Some might even call it blackpill metal. Musically, it takes us back to the style of black metal that was prevalent when bands like Mayhem held sway in the Scandinavian scene.
That said, there is a sombre melody in the riffing. A plaintive arpeggiated riff and some intricate tom-tom work accompany a lengthy spoken-word section, before we return with full force to the old-school black metal until the song slowly starts to fade out. This brings us to the final song of the album.
REQUIEM GERMANIA
There was a (sadly now deceased) German pop duo who were active in the late 1980s called, implausibly, The London Boys. They had a song called Requiem.
It sounded nothing like this, however. I’m not sure why I mentioned it. The song (by Nargaroth, not the one by The London Boys) is characterised, according to the press release, as: “…aching Germanic longing.”
It’s the kind of longing for home that will perhaps be inevitable for musicians who tour the world. Iron Maiden’s Wasted Years articulates this feeling equally profoundly, as does another significant man of letters.
Yes, I’m going to bring yet another poet into the mix: William Wordsworth. Note the similarity in the longing for Germany in Requiem Germania…
I saw strange starry skies and listened to the flight of ravens,
yet in many an anxious hour my heart beat with melancholy.
I often wept heavy storms into my hands
and longed for my homeland, which unites me with my ancestors.
I roam through distant lands,
yet I am drawn home,
and my heart is wrapped
in a cloak of longing.
…and the longing for England expressed in Wordsworth’s Lucy poems:
I travelled among unknown men,
In lands beyond the sea;
Nor, England! did I know till then
What love I bore to thee.
‘Tis past, that melancholy dream!
Nor will I quit thy shore
A second time; for still I seem
To love thee more and more.
In fact, how’s this for an eminently quotable phrase? Requiem Germania is what Iron Maiden’s Wasted Years would have been, had the lyrics been written by a German William Wordsworth.
Actually, that’s not very quotable at all. Please don’t quote that! Let’s move onto the music. It’s mid-paced and plodding, driven by persistent double kick rolls.
This perfectly illustrates the drawn-out nature of a long absence from home, only speeding up towards the end, when it is embellished with dramatic synths and choral voices that are mournful enough to be fitting for a requiem.
It brings to a close an album that has been a long time in the making. Was it worth the wait? I’d say so, but it’ll certainly be interesting to hear the sound of a fully fresh Nargaroth album next time round.
Metal Lair awards Apocalyptic Steel by Nargaroth four devil horns out of five.
Buy Apocalyptic Steel Here:
Tracklist:
1. Intro
2. Steel Apocalypse
3. Twisted Steel
4. I Drink Alone
5. Metalheart
6. Dresden
7. Shelter the Faithless
8. Man of Mayhem
9. Requiem Germania
Recording Line-up:
Ash — Vocals, Guitar, Bass
Mike Williams (Mummification) — Guitar, Bass
Phil Cancilla (Malevolent Creation, Hank Williams 3) — Drums
Current Line-up:
Ash — Vocals
Fernando Cortez (Hacavitz, Ash Nazg Burz, Through Torment) — Guitar
Julio Rodas — (Dreamlore, Tim-Ripper-Owens) — Guitar
Pavulon (Vader, Belphegor, Decapitated, VLTIMAS) — Drums
Follow Nargaroth:
Bandcamp: https://nargaroth.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialnargaroth/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nargaroth.official/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/NargarothChannel
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/artist/nargaroth/1087036045
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0aIcU4OHpKl7lpcRQp32Eo
Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/artist/12064
Tidal: https://stage.tidal.com/artist/7687559
About The Author
Kevin McSweeney is Metal Lair’s resident scribe of the underground, eternally rummaging through the global metal scene for riffs worth your time.
As the guiding hand behind Seven Deadly Songs every Friday, he has an uncanny knack for finding the track you didn’t know you needed, usually before finishing his pint.
Equal parts loyal, kind, and quietly razor-witted, Kevin brings deep knowledge, impeccable taste, and a steady, reliable presence to Metal Lair.
Read More From This Author:
Album Review: Altered State by Defiled
BlackMarket – Radical Views EP Review
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