WHAT ONCE WAS... LIBER II

The What Once Was series (which shares a name with infamous black metal band Burzum's second album) is self-styled as Blut aus Nord's 'back to basics' series of EPs, intended to throw in some old-school death metal influence into their unusual mix of black metal, industrial, and progressive metal. For all that it's intended to be more primitive, the series still throws the band's signature odd time signatures and dissonance everywhere, and it's still unmistakably the work of Blut aus Nord.

Of the three releases in the series thus far (more are evidently planned), Volume II is probably the strongest. It's also likely to be the most interesting to fans of progressive metal, what with the nine-and-a-half-minute opening track (the longest track on any of these releases to date). The other tracks are quite solid as well, especially the last one, which to my estimation has one of the best riffs on any Blut aus Nord release (right up there with the riff in Memoria Vetusta II's 'The Formless Sphere').

The release still has the odd textures, tremolo picking, blast beats, harsh vocals, and warped dissonance one would expect from any of the band's non-Memoria Vetusta/Ultima Thulee releases, so black metal-phobic fans are forewarned. It may also be difficult for people who don't own a vinyl player to track down a digital recording of this release, because there isn't an official one (although vinyl rips do circulate the internet). But for those who are open to such things, there is quite a bit of enjoyable listening to be found here.