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NINKHARSAG
The Blood Of Celestial Kings

Candlelight (2015)
Rating: 8.5/10

Liverpool may be always be known as being the home of The Beatles, but it’s also the abode of black metal nightmare Ninkharsag who were formed in the shadows of the city back in 2011.

It has taken a while for the band to reach this point with their debut album, having previously vomited out a demo in 2011 and a two-track digital single in 2013. Both songs from the single – the title track ‘The Essential Salts Of Human Dust’, and ‘Liber V Vel Reguli’ – feature on the album.

Ninkharsag is a band which revels in playing fast-paced and aggressive black metal; don’t expect too many frills, but do expect a truly gnarly nature from this frightful four-piece which marries an old school lean with modern nuances.

The opening track ‘The Sicarii’ is a devilish lump of charcoal; the vocals of Kyle Nesbitt are wicked throughout, hinting at the black majesty of Mayhem as the guitars rumble with ominous fashion. Indeed, with one first listen it’s already clear that Ninkharsag are influenced by that initial Scandinavian wave of black metal beasts, and there’s nothing wrong with that because as each track introduces itself, one gets consumed by these lethal waves of accessible darkness.

Catchy riffs, hammering drums, a vicious bass assault and some stunning marches into mid-tempo wickedness are the order of the day here, all the while coated by those filthy, stinking mocking sneers. This is how black metal should be played. Forget those rainy dissonant shores of remote tepidness or overtly symphonic levels of blandness, this is just stark yet weighty primitive evil built upon a foundation of those sturdy, prodding drums and Nesbitt’s rhythm guitar which is injected with malice by Paul Armitstead’s murky leads.

‘Liber V Vel Reguli’ is a sneering, barbed battering ram featuring a persistent drum thud that hits right to the heart of darkness, and the guitars offer up a belching melody that always has a shadowy past. The changes of pace are effortless and unexpected, which mean that the tracks throughout remain refreshing to the ears.

‘Ninkkarsag’ is one of the album’s most furious and scornful outbursts as it rages at quite a pace while Nesbitt literally spits his bloodied organs over the instrumentation. ‘Tartarus Unbound’ hints at the arrogant stature of Mayhem as it ascends; the chords and percussion building to higher mocking plateaus of evil.

‘The Dawn Of The Age Of Aquarius’ is a hammer to the skull, meanwhile, serving up the best work of stick warlock Jay Pipprell whose skin-bashing assault fits perfectly alongside an oily riff and those volatile vocal rasps. While not as quintessentially British as one would expect, some of the punky riffs – especially deep within the murk of ‘The Dawn Of The Age Of Aquarius’ and closer ‘Iron Wolves’ – offer up a Scandinavian hue as well as a fine breakdown of trickling bass and eerie screaming leads before the combo resorts back to the bracing speed.

Okay, so it may not be the most original black metal platter you’ll hear this side of the aforementioned Mayhem, Emperor and Dissection, but it’s a darn sight more effective than a majority of bands to lurk within the genre. With vocals that never cease to send a chill down the spine, The Blood Of Celestial Kings could well take to the roster for being one of 2015’s most convincing and barbaric black metal releases.

Neil Arnold

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