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Thursday, May 17, 2012

2012 - Njiqahdda/Oaks of Bethel

Here's three new releases from the duo known as Njiqahdda (who released one of my favorite records of last year). After a long period (for the duo anyway) of relative silence and financial troubles, all of the projects under the Nji name are back up and running. (All three are reviewed from 1-8)


Njiqahdda - Become The Sun (It Never Was) EP (2012)
Band: Njiqahdda
Country: Illinois
Style: Atmospheric/Progressive Black Metal
Label: EEE Recordings

Even for an EP, this release is a little different for Njiqahdda. Unlike many of the duo's other releases, which have ranged from ambient inspired pieces to progressive ones, they've pretty much all been epic in their length, the four tracks on here really aren't, but what's really the surprising part is that these tracks are so minimal sounding (at least to me). The riffing is really straightforward on here, recalling more classic sounding black metal than anything the duo has previously released. Not to say that there aren't a fare share of more progressive and inspired moments, but these songs are far easier to digest than almost anything else I've encountered in the band's discography yet, and that might turn some people off. Personally, I actually find it to be refreshing that the duo have streamlined their approach on here, it's not as suffocating as some of their most recent work has been.
Overall Score: 7
Highlights: Kali, A Perfect Mirror

Oaks of Bethel - Orange Triad EP (2012)
Band: Oaks of Bethel
Country: Illinois
Style: Atmospheric Black Metal/Drone-Doom
Label: EEE Recordings

This single epic proves to be the first thing in several months from the Oaks of Bethel camp. Sonically, this is perhaps closer to some of the older work from the duo, with most of the track staying within the more drone-doom side of the band's sound. Even when the intensity picks up, I don't know if you could say that the track ever speeds up too much. While the entire piece didn't strike me in a similar way to their last full-length, The Ghosts That We Are, not that I would even expect it to, there were certain sections in the song that did grab me, in particular were some phrases where the guitars would just cut out for about a section, but the drums would just create a fill. Ultimately, that's what my attention was drawn towards while listening to this release, the drums. There were a number of interesting patterns that occur throughout the track while the guitars retain that slow and heavy form of drone-doom style. No matter how slow or fast (there are a couple of sections where you do get actual black metal) this gets though, the atmosphere is kept in a morose, but calming, manor from start to finish.
Overall Score: 6.5
Highlights: Orange Triad

Njiqahdda - To Escape The Tide EP (2012)
Band: Njiqahdda
Country: Illinois
Style: Atmospheric/Progressive Black Metal
Label: Ivory Antler

This new cassette returns to more of the trademark Nji sound that most of us have come to know from their past material. This material returns to the more progressive and technical side of the band while also harkening back to their more experimental roots as well. The title-track is really something special, combining that technical edge with a more sludgy side that hasn't really ever been heard from the duo before. But this release is not so one dimensional, as each of the three tracks on here expresses a different idea. Awaken brings that melancholic folk influence to the surface while closer Adapting to Survival is a spacious soundscape filled with interesting electronic, and natural, textures. It is definitely my favorite of the three releases here from the duo because it has that more experimental edge to it that the band has become known for. This release also marks a bit of a shift vocally for the duo, removing the distortion that usually conceals their vocals and allowing the vocals to open up and bring an even more melancholic vibe to these songs.
Overall Score: 7.5
Highlights: To Escape The Tide

4 comments:

  1. No idea if you get alerts when someone posts so i'll probably be missed but...

    For someone who has listened to Njiqahdda and enjoyed what he's heard but is a little wary of the much more ambient side of Njiijn and Oaks of Bethel, what would you recommend as a good starting place? I'd ideally like more song than ambience (So i'm guessing that means Oaks of Bethel rather than Njiijn) but which of their discography is likely to grab me?

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    1. I don't get notifications when someone posts but I do check the comments on the blog regularly so I do see when a new message is posted.
      If you are looking for more song based material, I don't think many of the Njiijn albums would be your speed (although Templii Au Osstryx is probably their most song-based material from that project) as for Oaks of Bethel, while songs are still difficult to really find, I'd definitely go for records like The Ghosts That We Are or Starfire, Chasms and Enslavement. My personal favorites aren't quite as "accessible" as those two, but are still certainly worth checking out: From Midnight Sun to Burning Wheel and The Curse of Failure Upon Humanity. It's really your choice but those are some nice starting points (I think I started with the FUH EP myself). Hope this helps in some way.

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  2. Excellent..thanks for the advice. The way they have it organised on their Bandcamp means it looks like i'll be going down the route of The Folk and the Ground, Two Rivers Of Blood Flow From The Moon, I Am the Bridge and The Ghosts That We Are as a first taste (although i've already skimmed the Departures from the Golden Temple split because i wanted the Funeral Eclipse and Njiqahdda tracks).

    Nice job on that interview with them too...you're a braver man than i to ask about Maantii Fuuneralii Solva! Although it does seem weird as a Njiqahhda release and from what i've heard seems more in line with Njiijn.

    I also want to say thanks for the Blog...i know you don't get much feedback but after seeing Forever Cursed go into hiatus i realise that i pays to let people know that they're appreciated.

    (I'm bereft of social networking - no FB or Twitter - so apologies for the anonymous profile used in these comments)

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    1. No problem man, gotta do what you gotta do. Thanks for the praise, I hate to sound like a douche but I never did this blog for praise or anything like that, but it is nice to hear that what I'm doing actually encourages someone to listen to more interesting music of some sort.
      Thanks for the praise one the blog and interview. The Njiqahdda/Njiijn thing is just two sides of the same coin. Some releases focus solely on one style over another but some overlap more between them. I don't think the line between those two projects is as clearly drawn as perhaps those between Nji and Oaks or Nji and Funeral. Thanks for the praise again and keep on the lookout for interesting music!

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