Aura Noir: Aura Noire (2018)

Aura Noir is one of those bands who I have accumulated a few albums by, but rarely really target when a new album is released.  In fact, I had no idea this album came out last year.  The last one I remember was 2012's Out to Die.  Part of the issue probably is that the band takes a long time between releases.  It is odd though, because this is definitely the type of band I should be more into, given their blackened thrash metal sound and featuring the guitar work of the notorious Blasphemer, formerly of Mayhem.

The band presents more of a stripped-down and raw sound this time around.  The sound is reminiscent of a combination of early Sodom and Venom with some Nocturnal Breed thrown in.  Track "Mordant Wind" even has some early Voivod influence to it.  Many of the riffs, particularly that in the aforementioned song and "Demoniac Flow", have a rusty, mechanical quality to them.  It sounds like the rampage of a 70 ton war machine.  The vocals, which sound as if Aggressor has been gargling with battery acid, fit well with the war anthems within.  It is an interesting classic metal feel that is quite a bit different than the band's earlier material.

It is kind of a tough call as to whether I prefer this album or the previous one.  They are very different takes on the blackened thrash metal sound.  This one is more comparable to the earliest days of black metal when thrash was just crossing over.  The previous album is a much more modern take.  I guess it all depends on what kind of mood I am in.  Sometimes, I want some 80's style blackened thrash, and when that is the case, this album will do quite nicely.

Aura Noir: The Merciless (2004)

I checked out Aura Noir's latest album last year.  I loved that release and it made my Top Ten albums list for 2012.  So recently when I saw this album for cheap on I had to check it out.

Aura Noir is a blackened thrash metal band from Norway featuring Blasphemer, known mostly for his work with Mayhem, and a couple of other members who have played with a variety of Norwegian blackened-something metal bands, such as Immortal, Ved Buens Ende, Cadaver Inc., Nocturnal Breed, and many more.   I am a big fan of blackened thrash metal personally, so even though it has taken me a long time to get into Aura Noir, I am attempting to make up for lost time.

This is the band's third full-length album and came out after a hiatus that lasted several years.  It is a significantly more raw and primal sound than the relatively cleaner style in their latest album.  Which is saying something.  It is not as if Aura Noir are known for being clean anyway.

These songs have a little bit more of a punk vibe to them than their more recent material.  The music bears a strong resemblance to the early material of genre legends Sodom and Hellhammer.  It is raw and aggressive with absolutely no apologies.  The lyrics are a little ridiculous with song titles like "Black Metal Jaw" and "Condor", but that's not a problem.

I am definitely looking into more Aura Noir material in the future.

Top 40 Metal Albums of 2012: 10-1

10.  RUMPELSTILTSKIN GRINDER: GHOSTMAKER
The best pure thrash metal album this year came from a very unexpected source.  Rumpelstiltskin Grinder had previously been kind of an anomaly in the wave of retro thrash metal bands, a band with a strong sense of humor and some non-thrash metal elements thrown in for good measure.  Their sound really came together on this release.  It is a shame so few people have been willing to give them a shot because they really deserve it with this one.

9.  AURA NOIR: OUT TO DIE
Australia has mostly become known for this style of blackened thrash metal, so it came as a bit of a shock to hear a terrific blackened thrash metal album from Norway.  This is an incredibly grimy and dirty sound that kicks ass and takes names.  It is short and raw and a wild ride.

8.  EVOKEN: ATRA MORS
This release shows just how morose and despairing funeral doom metal can get.  Ahab remains my favorite funeral doom metal band, but this release may be one of my favorite albums from the subgenre, joining prior Ahab material and the Catacombs album.  This album is utterly hopeless with an incredible sense of despair hanging over the entire album.

7.  HOODED MENACE: EFFIGIES OF EVIL
The best pure doom metal album this year, Hooded Menace's lyrics mostly deal in horror themes.  There is definitely a market for this style and lyrical theme.  Hooded Menace craft extremely impressive traditional-styled doom metal with infectious riffs and incredibly catchy songs.  The vocals may be death metal-styled but the music is pure doom.

6.  GOATWHORE: BLOOD FOR THE MASTER
I can always count on Goatwhore to release an album of purely chaotic and menacing black/thrash/death/extreme metal.  They have not disappointed me yet.  Perhaps the most impressive thing about Goatwhore though is that the band continually gets better.  Each time they release a new album, it is the best album they have ever done.  That continues with this release.  This is the best Goatwhore album ever.  Though that will only last until the next one if history is any indication.

5.  MORTALICUM: THE ENDTIME PROPHECY
Every year it seems like a traditional metal album comes out of nowhere to completely shock me and make it very high on my end of the year countdown.  This is not the only one this year, but it is perhaps the most shocking.  This one was sent to me to review from Metal on Metal Records and I have not been able to stop listening to it since.

4.  GOJIRA: L'ENFANT SAUVAGE
I once said that Gojira released one of the heaviest songs of all time.  Now they have released one of the heaviest albums.  The French band continually puts out ridiculously heavy material.  This is my favorite album that Gojira have released so far and it came damn close to taking the top album of the year.  The band is almost unclassifiable, but that is not important when the music is this good.

3.  ATARAXY: REVELATIONS OF THE ETHEREAL
I have said it before in this list, 2012 was a great year for death metal.  Ataraxy is a Spanish death metal band that has released an utterly terrific raw and grimy album.  Not bad for a debut album.  I owe my knowledge of this band to Full Metal Attorney.

2.  NEPHELIUM: COILS OF ENTROPY
Almost everything I said about Ataraxy could be said about Nephelium, except that they are from the United Arab Emirates originally before relocating to Canada.  This is a death metal album on par with just about any other death metal album of the last several years.  There is just something about this release that grabs the listener and refuses to let go.  It is an incredibly raw and brutal death metal album that is fresh and exciting.  2012 was a great year for death metal and Nephelium is the biggest reason why.

1.  CHRISTIAN MISTRESS: POSSESSION
Here it is, the best metal album of 2012 and this is definitely from an unusual place.  As I said with Mortalicum, every year it seems like a traditional metal album comes out of nowhere and blows me away.  Christian Mistress have released the best metal album of the year.  Their sound can be traced back to the NWOBHM.  The vocals are simply incredible and are a large reason why this album is so impressive.  And there you have it, Metallattorney's Album of the Year.

Top 10 of 2012 So Far

We are a little over halfway through 2012 so here is a Top 10 list so far.  This was not too difficult to do because I have not been buying a lot of new music this year.

10.  PILGRIM: MISERY WIZARD
This is one I have not had a chance to put up a full review on yet.  I just got it a couple of weeks ago.  Pilgrim is a doom metal band with an emphasis on the doom.  Most of the tracks are incredibly slow but undeniably heavy.  There is not a lot of variation in the tracks, other than the rollicking final track, but once in awhile that's good.  Look for a full review very soon.

9.  EXUMER: FIRE AND DAMNATION
Another album with a full review soon to come.  Exumer is a longtime German thrash metal band who has recently reunited.  The band previously put out a couple of albums in the mid 1980's and this is their first album since.  I am not familiar with their earlier material but if it sounds anything like this, I will definitely be checking it out.

8.  16: DEEP CUTS FROM DARK CLOUDS
16 is a fairly brutal band in the sludge metal genre and is another group that it took me quite awhile to finally check out.  This is an incredibly infectious album although it does tend to drag a little at times.  16 is not as violently aggressive as Eyehategod but they are similar to Acid Bath.  16 shows us what real sludge metal sounds like.

7.  OVERKILL: THE ELECTRIC AGE
One of the most consistent thrash metal bands in the history of metal, Overkill has never put out a bad album and this one is certainly no exception.  Overkill continues to put out fantastic album after fantastic album.  While this is something of a step down from their last release, it is still a phenomenal album.  Overkill deserves a lot more notoriety than they get.

6.  3 INCHES OF BLOOD: LONG LIVE HEAVY METAL
Once a very promising band, 3IOB took a big step backward when one of their vocalists left and threw the band's sound in disarray.  But this album finds the band realizing their sound once more and gleefully enjoying their take on classic metal.  This is an excellent return to form for the band.

5.  KREATOR: PHANTOM ANTICHRIST
The most recent album from this list, I picked this one up in the final week of June so it just barely made the cut for consideration here.  Since pulling out of their tailspin in the early 2000's Kreator has put out a number of great brutal thrash metal albums.  Kreator is still going very strong after all this time.

4.  ASPHYX: DEATHHAMMER
Martin Van Drunen is one of my favorite extreme metal vocalists and this is just another reason why.  Asphyx was one of the more compelling early death metal bands, particularly with their infusion of doom metal elements.  Aspyhx has not been back together long but they have put out some amazing work in the time they have.

3.  AURA NOIR: OUT TO DIE
I cannot believe it took me so long to discover Aura Noir.  Blackened thrash metal is one of my favorite genres and Aura Noir is considered one of the better bands in the genre, and for good reason.  Their music is raw and infectious and recalls early Venom and Sodom.

2.  GOATWHORE: BLOOD FOR THE MASTER
Goatwhore has been one of my favorite bands for a long time now and they just keep getting better.  Each album is an improvement on the one before it and this one is no exception.  Their sound is more streamlined but that does not mean it is any less intense.  This is a neckbreaker from start to finish.

1.  CHRISTIAN MISTRESS: POSSESSION
The top metal album of the year so far has come from a somewhat unexpected place.  This is only the band's second album so far but the band has a very bright future.  They play a brand of NWOBHM-influenced retro metal.  Their songwriting skills are top-notch and the vocals are incredible.  A terrific album from start to finish.

Initial Impressions: Aura Noir: Out to Die

I am a sucker for blackened thrash, which brings up the question "why is this the first time I have heard Aura Noir?"

The Norwegian band has been around since the early 1990's, but have now only released five full-length albums.  Nevertheless, for some reason they have been operating under my radar despite performing a style of music that I rank as one of my favorite metal forms.  Norway is not really known for their thrash metal bands, although this is not pure thrash.  Aura Noir is made up of former members of a number of well-known Norwegian black metal bands, most notably Blasphemer of Mayhem.

This album brings to mind early Sodom and Venom albums.  It is fast, filthy, and raw, just the way blackened thrash metal should be.  It does not rise to the levels of ugliness present on a Gospel of the Horns or Bestial Warlust release, but that is not really the intention.  The goal is to call back to a simpler time when bands were fusing the sounds from Motorhead, hardcore punk, and trying to up the evil factor.

This album is a neck-breaker.  It's fast-paced, dirty metal all the way through.  The band never slows down. This may have been the first time I heard Aura Noir, but it will not be the last.