Blut Aus Nord (or “Blood of the North”) is an experimental black metal outfit hailing from France. Having existed since 1993 and having originally formed under the guise of Vlad, the solo guitarist and vocalist, Vindsval, adopted a name change a mere one year later. At this time, the project expanded from a one-man army to a duo by adding W.D. Feld as a drummer, keyboardist, and electronic atmosphere conjurer. And it is both Feld and Vindsval that have persisted through the decades, offering us thirteen LPs, a bundle of EPs, and some splits along the way.

Hallucinogen marks a turning point in the band’s sound. Gone are the characteristic industrial underpinnings and in their absence there now reside blistering melodies. Amethyst-hued clouds of psychedelia billow across an infinite blanket of space architected by the outfit. Trancelike they shimmer with a royal luster. Solar flares of rock and roll unfurl fervent hooks. Searing they latch onto your synapses to ignite nirvana. All the while, wisps of seemingly wordless chants harmonize with the cerebral aura percolating from the instruments. It’s an utmost transcendental experience, one that defies words and provides glimpses of verdant celestial bodies unimagined by the human mind. I have known of Blut Aus Nord’s existence for a multitude of years, though I have never taken a deep plunge into their discography, save a handful of listens of their 2014 LP, Memoria Vetusta III: Saturnian Poetry. Connor is in a similar boat; however, he has not listened to a fleck of their catalog until this record. That being said, we came into this review quite fresh to Blut Aus Nord’s new sound. We sincerely hope you enjoy our discussion of it. Thank you for tuning in.