Friday 10 May 2019

NIBIRU - Salbrox (Album Review)


Release date: May 10th 2019. Label: Ritual Productions. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Salbrox – Tracklisting

1.EHNB 14:41
2.EXARP 09:18
3.HCOMA 10:29
4.NANTA 05:55
5.ABALPT 06:29
6.BITOM 04:00
7.RZIORN 13:32

Members

Ardat – Guitars, Percussion & Vocals
Ri Salma – Bass, Drones & Synthesizers
L.C. Chertan - Drums

Review

Italian Psychedelic Drone/Sludge/Doom Ritualists NIBIRU return with their 5th album Salbrox and it’s another mysterious journey into the more wilder and experimental of Doom/Drone/Sludge Metal. The psychedelic and trance based sounds are merged once again with the Enochian chants of lead vocalist – Ardat. The vocals and lyrics are quite gloomy and scary throughout the entire album.

The music is played with a demonic and sinister passion as the riffs can be very hard to understand at times and you will need to be a dedicated follower of the band to fully enjoy and appreciate this album. This isn’t your most straightforward album with Salbrox being a very unorthodox and unsettling album to listen to at times and that is saying something for NIBIRU.

Salbrox is most easily their disturbing and heaviest album to date with long droned out Doom/Sludge noises creating a complex rhythm and almost horrifying noises on songs such as EHNB, EXARP, ABALPT and RZIORN.

I will admit that I prefer the earlier albums of NIBIRU compared to Salbrox. As it’s more my style of Psychedelic Sludge, Doom and Drone Metal. However I admire NIBIRU’s creative choices with this album. As it’s an engrossing style of Extreme Doom/Drone/Sludge Metal. I don’t know if I will listen to this album again in a hurry though. As you need to be in a certain mindset to fully understand and appreciate.

The album is superbly produced with the band creating a whole range of dynamic and demonic noises. If you dig bands such as THOU, BONG, SUNN 0))) and THE BODY then NIBIRU and this album will speak volumes to you.

Overall, Salbrox is a complex and frightening album to listen to and will rule over your nightmares for years to come. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!!!

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Ritual Productions and Barbara at NeeCee Agency for the promo. Salbrox is available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl now via Ritual Productions.

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