In the blood-soaked trenches of black metal, where chaos and fury collide, Nargaroth's "Crushing Some Belgian Scum" stands as a monument to the genre's untamed spirit. This isn't some polished studio creation, but a raw, visceral document of Kanwulf and his cohorts laying waste to a Belgian stage in 2002.
Forget the pristine sound and meticulous arrangements of lesser bands. This is black metal in its purest form: a sonic blitzkrieg of distortion, blast beats, and Kanwulf's tortured howls. It's the sound of a band possessed, channeling the very essence of darkness and aggression.
"Black Metal ist Krieg" kicks things off with a furious onslaught, a declaration of war against the world. Kanwulf's vocals are a guttural rasp, spitting out lyrics that are both defiant and nihilistic. The guitars churn and grind, creating a wall of sound that's both oppressive and exhilarating.
"Possessed by Black Fucking Metal" is a relentless assault on the senses, a six-minute descent into the abyss. The drums pound like a heartbeat gone haywire, while the guitars weave a tapestry of dissonance and despair. Kanwulf's vocals are a primal scream, a testament to the genre's raw emotional power.
A brief respite comes in the form of "I Burn for You," a cover of a Lord Foul song. It's a slower, more melodic track, but it's still imbued with a sense of menace and darkness. Kanwulf's vocals are surprisingly tender, revealing a vulnerability that's rarely seen in his music.
The album closes with "Vom Traum die Menschheit zu töten," a sprawling epic that encapsulates everything that makes Nargaroth so compelling. It's a journey through the darkest corners of the human psyche, a meditation on death, destruction, and the futility of existence. Kanwulf's vocals are a tortured lament, a cry from the depths of despair. The music builds to a crescendo of pure sonic violence, leaving the listener both exhausted and exhilarated.
"Crushing Some Belgian Scum" is not an album for the faint of heart. It's a brutal, uncompromising assault on the senses, a testament to the power of black metal to shock, provoke, and inspire. It's a document of a band at the peak of its powers, channeling the very essence of darkness and aggression.
