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 5^th 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.

Links:

Official | Facebook | BandCamp

NIBIRU - Qaal Babalon (Album Review)

Release date: September 22nd 2017. Label: Argonauta Records. Format: CD/DD

Qaal Babalon – Tracklisting

Oroch

Faboan

Bahal Gah

Oxex

Members

Ardath - Guitars, Percussions and Vocals

Ri - Bass, Drones and Synthesizers

L.C. Chertan - Drums

Review

Italian Sludge/Drone/Doom Collective Nibiru has never been the easiest band to listen to. I've been a fan of their music since they released their debut album way back in 2013. Their mix of heavy droned out doom noises doesn't appeal to everyone. As their music can be quite experimental at times. Despite this, the band has built up a very loyal following within the Sludge/Doom Metal scene over the last few years.

I've reviewed almost everything they've released and today is no different. As I will be trying my best reviewing their new album - Qaal Babalon. This album is perhaps their most daring and decisive work to date. I'm still having trouble deciding what the album is actually about and what it means in the grand scheme of things. 

From my first initial listens, the album is a complex sounding style of droned out doom/sludge and experimental psychedelic passages. All held together by a loose structure of disjointed vocals and mind inducing lyrics. The album has a Sunn O))) style quality around it. Riffs that can last an age but one that will richly reward you if you have the time and patience for this kind of music.

Opening track Oroch is nineteen minutes of heavy sludge/droned out doom with epic moments of industrial style noise. The song slowly builds upto a standard momentum before Nibiru deconstruct everything they've created into a massive vortex of uncomfortable themes and ideas.

Second track - Faboan - is another warped and nightmarish style of Doom/Sludge metal with Nibiru on twisted inspired form. The vocals contain the same drive and delivery as the opening track. Pounding drums delivers an almighty wall of distorted sound that are matched only by the heavy frantic doomed out guitars. This song has a more standard sludge/doom metal based structure. As Nibiru try to play something less experimental and one that is perhaps their most straight forward song. It's quite a punishing affair with the music being very fast-paced and sounding quite ferocious at times.

Third track - Babal Gah - returns to the complex and experimental vibes of the opening track with psychedelic tribal noises opening the song. Haunting synths and sound effects build up the albums unsettling atmosphere before the gloomy guitars make a welcome appearance. This is seventeen minutes that perhaps ranks as the best song on the album.

The final track Oxex carries on the psychedelic experimental with the band returning to the world they created on their previous albums. Qaal Babalon is a unique sounding experience that will intrigue and equally frustrate people in the same measure. Nibiru are not your usual standard band. I'm accustomed to their style of music. It's taken many hours of listening to their music and interviewing the band over the years to fully appreciate what they create with each record they've released so far.

Technically and musically speaking, Qaal Babalon is a masterclass of experimental and extreme metal. Though it doesn't have the same "WOW" factor as their earlier albums. I still rate this album very highly and I applaud Nibiru once again for continuing pushing their own musical identity to new levels of extreme heaviness.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to NeeCee Agency for the promo. Qaal Babalon will be available to buy on CD/DD via Argonauta Records from September 22^nd 2017.

Links:

Official | Facebook

NIBIRU - CAOSGON (2017 Edition) - Exclusive Album Premiere

Release date: July 07th 2017. Label: Argonauta Records. Format: CD/DD

“I”– Tracklisting

1.Nightrider

2.Sandstorms 05:16

3.Ruby

4.Turbines

5.Watchmaker

Band Members:

Ardath | Guitars, Percussions and Vocals
Ri | Bass, Drones and Synthesizers
L.C. Chertan | Drums
The Lowdown:

I first came across Italian Sludge/Doom Metallers - NIBIRU - back in 2012 when I was still involved with The Sludgelord.

I reviewed their debut album - Caosgon - which I rated very highly back in the day. The band impressed me with their psychedelic ritual sludge based sounds set against a dronish backdrop of experimental sounds.

Since then NIBIRU have gone to make a name for themselves within the Doom/Sludge Metal community. The band are now signed to Argonauta Records who are about to re-release Caosgon.

Now again available with a totally new artwork, remastered sound and a bonus song previously unreleased, from the original recording sessions. The cool folks over at Argonauta Records know that I'm a huge fan of this album and they've indly let me premiere the whole new album in full.

Caosgon – 2017 Edition is a more gloomier and disturbing offering than the original. With the slightly more creepy artwork drawing you into NIBIRU's disturbing world.
Now you can experience the new album the way it's meant to be heard. The band are currently at work recording their new album due for release in 2018.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Argonauta Records for the premiere. You can now pre-order Caosgon - 2017 Edition on CD/DD via Argonauta Records from July 7th 2017.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp