Twice as black, twice as raw, twice as cult. That’s our column Twice As Heavy. A new, long-awaited or unexpected record that implies the return of Meyhna’ch and thus simply demands to be reviewed from more than one angle. Also, the editors would fight each other to determine who ultimately gets the golden ticket. This time, we’re discussing Black Metal Cult by Mütiilation. Yves Pelgrims (favorite genre: black metal) and Tafkads (favorite genre: also black metal) take the bloody reins and consider themselves lucky to review this unique record.
In the early ’90s, the second wave of black metal surged to life in the far north, with the rise of legendary bands like Mayhem and Emperor (the infamous Black Metal Inner Circle). If you don’t know that, you might have ended up in the wrong review. Anyway, other European regions responded not far behind. In France, Les Légions Noires (The Black Legions) arose, a group of black metal artists who sought the extremes in both their music and their life philosophy (and their vision of the genre). Their output was raw, lo-fi, obscure, satanic, and distinctly anti-commercial. Les Légions Noires was an underground collective that focused on limited edition demos. True Black Metal Cult.
During the ’90s, Les Légions Noires slowly faded away, but the figurehead of this group, Mütiilation, returned after his passing in 1996: first in 2000 and again in 2014. Meanwhile, the band had become the solo project of visionary Meyhna’ch.
In his prime Mütiilation brought us true black metal classics like the EP Hail Satanas We Are the Black Legions (1994) and the full-length album Vampires of Black Imperial Blood (1995). From its first resurrection, we remember the insanely delicious demo Destroy Your Life for Satan (2001) and the masterful Majestas Leprosus (2003). The last full-length album by Mütiilation, Sorrow Galaxies, was released in 2007. Two years later, Meyhna’ch pulled the plug on Mütiilation once again.
Although Meyhna’ch revived Mütiilation in 2014, the wait for a new full-length album continued. Besides a split and a live album, a compilation album of old material was released in 2018, which colleague Bart provided with a review. But this year, we finally see the long-awaited return of one of France’s most mythical bands. Meyhna’ch has even found a drummer, Kham, to share the ranks with him. And so, more than thirty years after the band’s formation, the cult of the Zwarte Legioenen (Black Legions) is alive once again. The legend rises from the ashes. Hail Mütiilation, We Are the Black Legions!
What emotions and thoughts come to mind when you listen to Black Metal Cult for the first time?
Tafkads: The first time I played the album was in a parking lot in, indeed, France. I first heard the misty, rather tragic and hopeless intro, followed by Mütiilation bursting out through a barrage of dull-sounding drumming with the first, dark riffs behind it. But when the central riff of the track is announced with dissonant undertones and tight drum support, and Meyhna’ch then goes all out both instrumentally and vocally, I really felt like swinging open the doors and windows of my car, turning my car radio up to maximum volume, and climbing onto the roof, shouting loudly: “Écoutez, voici votre héritage musical!”. Pentagrams, inverted crosses, a few liters of blood, and a sacrifice or two wouldn’t have been out of place with this spontaneous expression of enthusiastic ecstasy…
But yeah, I didn’t do that because I don’t have the guts. And as conformist as I am, I would also worry about “what people would say about that.” Fortunately, Meyhna’ch doesn’t have any of these petty concerns and provides us with deliciously dirty black metal as usual, with plenty of sharp and ragged edges. However, my initial thought after a first complete listening session was that the production here, entirely against the ideals of Les Légions Noires, feels quite modern and clear. Whether that’s a good thing or not, I’ll come back to later.
What else caught my attention: since Meyhna’ch leans more towards fury and destruction on Black Metal Cult, Mütiilation has lost some of its atmosphere here. In the early years of the band, Meyhna’ch was better able to create a sinister, uncanny atmosphere, something that is clearly less present on the new album. Additionally, I miss that classic Mütiilation feeling of hopeless desolation and depressive nihilism on Black Metal Cult. Instead, we get restless, raw, and almost chilly black metal where the emotion lies mainly in the riffs and less in the subtleties of rhythm, production, and song structure. The speed is also much higher here, which is consistent with the style and choices made on this album.
What are the most striking moments of this album?
Tafkads: Black Metal Cult isn’t an album of highlights. Nevertheless, I think the level of quality of black metal here is quite high, but it doesn’t translate into many striking surprises. The quality and enjoyment of listening are fairly evenly distributed across the different tracks, and the strength of each track lies more in its coherent entirety than in the ingenuity of individual passages. Between the more repetitive sections, we do get the occasional anchor, a reference point if you will. In my opinion, this is mainly the case with the first three tracks, while the last three tracks remain more on the scorched black landscape.
Well, do let me give a brief selection of reference points. The start of the opening track Black Metal Cult, with its delightful acceleration and then that shout full of dedication, I already mentioned. Also, the icy, pompously scraping riff on Hominicide (from 2:47) is worth mentioning, and on this track, it’s also nice to shout along with “Kill the humans. Kill, Kill, Kill.”. Anyone who loves traditional Scandinavian, furious, frenzied riffs will certainly appreciate From the Plains of Ice and Death. I found the opening riff sequence (and its frequent repetition) to be one of the most captivating on the album. The languid, sludge-leaning middle section then provides the necessary contrast. The melancholic start of The Fall of Islam, followed by the chants of a muezzin, belongs to the few atmospheric oases on Black Metal Cult. Lastly, I want to mention the spoken word at the end of The Mirror of Disillusion, because of its inherent anger and melancholy.
How high is the nostalgia factor of Black Metal Cult?
Yves: On one hand, I’m inclined to say that there is a high nostalgia factor in this album. If you’re referring to nostalgia for traditional black metal from the 90s, for example, take a track like The Mirror of Disillusion, and you can still hear the Dark Throne and Burzum moments popping up. If you’re referring to the material from seventeen years ago, then it’s quite different. More attacking, merciless, and with more sense of melodic depth.
Tafkads: That seems like an easy question to answer, but it’s not. Meyhna’ch’s voice alone is enough to transport you back to France in 1995, and here and there you can also hear riff structures that refer to that time. The dissonances and razor-sharp guitar chords of old Mütiilation are definitely present, but not predominant. If I had to compare the style of the new album to something, it would be the last three albums of Emperor, although I also occasionally hear the darkness of Gorgoroth emerging. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t call Black Metal Cult an old school album. So Black Metal Cult is not that cult after all.
On the other hand, there is the more modern production, the occasional choice for more accessible riffs, and especially a strong style shift from atmospheric depression to raging destruction at a high tempo. In the melodic parts, you can hear Seth again, but well, that music is simply timeless.
Is there any evolution noticeable compared to the older work and Sorrow Galaxies?
Yves: Undoubtedly on a production level, although I must admit that I was really a fan of the rigidity of Mütiilation in terms of dusty productions. If you listen carefully to Sorrow Galaxies, you could already hear some melodical experiments, which also received an atmospheric floatiness through the guitar riffs each time. However, it was chaotic structurally, just like the production. Black Metal Cult is much tighter, more powerful, and in your face in that regard. Especially when you compare it to the somewhat weaker work of the man in his solo project.
Tafkads: You can just tell that, compared to the previous albums, Mütiilation on Black Metal Cult opts for a different approach. More riff-driven, harder, more direct, and sharper. And with a much smoother, more contemporary production. So the comparison with the old albums hardly holds up anymore (as mentioned: the vocal compartment remains the most recognizable reference point), but there are also significant differences compared to the releases we’ve heard since 2000.
Look, when it comes to Mütiilation, I’m not fundamentally a purist who sticks to the early nineties, although I do miss that dusty spiderweb black on the newer work. Majestas Leprosus (which still strongly leaned towards the old work and towards the foundations of black metal in general) and the old Mayhem approach of Rattenkönig could certainly please me. But I’m absolutely not a fan of the uninspired Sorrow Galaxies. So I’m relieved that Meyhna’ch has changed tack and opted for a more targeted and concrete approach to his black metal, where exciting riffs and fiery temperament go hand in hand.
Does the production used suit a Mütiilation album?
Yves: It’s certainly different, you can really hear that this is miles away from the project back then. Although I was a fan of that style, with personal favorites like Black Millenium (with the wheelchair), Majestas Leprosus, and Rattenkönig, I can certainly live with the fact that Mütiilation has dusted everything off. Again, this is still a raw beast that you just need to give some time, and in that sense, Mütiilation retains its charm.
Tafkads: As already mentioned, the production of Black Metal Cult cannot be compared to the obligatory lo-fi vacuum cleaner black that was typical of Les Légions Noires. And although this production may not fit the legacy of this band (and specifically its music from the 90s), it fits wonderfully with this new album. Just clear enough to be enjoyable for today’s black metal fan, just rough enough for the old school fan. In that sense, I would dare to say that Meyhna’ch has made the right choice here by finding a compromise between old and new, between extreme and listenable. It is also logical that the man uses the modern techniques available today to shape his music, instead of lingering in what is no longer. Well, even the Black Legions have to keep up with the times…
That being said, I want to nuance the above, because you shouldn’t expect the music on Black Metal Cult to be really clear and pure. The rough edges here lie mainly in the vocal compartment: Meyhna’ch’s sandpaper voice truly takes us back to the time of the dark early years of Mütiilation. The guitars can also grind and tear when Meyhna’ch pleases. It’s as if the strings are equipped with venomous serrations and barbs. Just listen to the start of Hominicide for that.
With such a tough title, expectations are naturally very high. Are the seventeen years of waiting fully rewarded?
Yves: It’s mainly a matter of getting used to it, but you certainly expect that a project like this will change quite a bit over such a time. It’s impressive that at 48 years old, the age of the creator, you’re still sticking to the old style and doing your own thing with it. Sometimes I’m startled when I realize that the heyday of the 90s is almost thirty years in the past now. Then you are, I think, rewarded when you don’t just hear a rip-off from that era, but when it’s given its own soul and content. That certainly happens on this record.
Tafkads: Completely? No. But largely yes. I think I secretly hoped for a return to the rough, raw, ragged roots, a bit like on Majestas Leprosus. But well, that’s not the case now, but even in the absence of that nostalgia factor, you still have a unique and high-quality album left. It’s definitely a big step forward compared to its predecessor and a completely new incarnation of Mütiilation due to the refreshed and more in your face style used here. Once you, as a listener, have accepted that Mütiilation in 2024 sounds different (more modern), you can discover a great album where delicious riffs, parchment vocals, and a plethora of dirty outbursts are combined in a beautifully balanced way. A little less atmosphere, perhaps, but the black metal is unleashed with full dedication and without compromise. And yes, that’s also the essence of black metal cult.
Which song best captures the essence of Mütiilation in 2024?
Tafkads: If you approach this purely musically, so from tonality, instrument handling, production, composition, and the mood evoked by the music, then I would choose the title track. Actually, Black Metal Cult (the song) is a nice synthesis of what Mütiilation has to offer us on this album, both in terms of riffs and in terms of structure and song structure. But if you approach this question thematically, you can’t get around The Fall of Islam I think. Only Les Légions Noires (Dead and buried? Or still alive in Meyhna’ch’s Mütiilation? I definitely opt for the latter statement.) have the guts to attack this last holy bastion where black metal traditionally targeted mainly Christianity. The lyrics don’t lie: this is a direct attack on Islam in no uncertain terms. It shows in any case that Meyhna’ch does not discriminate in his hatred towards religion. Given the problems France has had with extremism from that corner, it’s a bold move, but from the philosophy and tradition of the genre, it’s certainly understandable.
Does the artwork add value here?
Yves: It’s somewhat different from the predecessors, I mainly have to get used to the white, but as far as I’m concerned, it fits the content of the disc. The whole thing sucks you into that raw, satanic center. Also nice that the man stuck with his old, familiar logo.
Tafkads: The artwork is certainly worth it. It’s graceful, largely symmetrical, not excessive, and somewhere also balanced. The central figure represents an imposing Satan statue and two children who seem to be looking at it in worship (or so it seems). We see both the modern packaging and the sharp edges of the music visually represented here. It’s monochromatic, as it should be, I would almost dare to say, but I find the excess of white daring. All in all, it perfectly complements the band logo.
Is Mütiilation‘s latest album an essential addition to the black metal record collection?
Yves: Undoubtedly, you should get it. If you liked the old material, there’s no reason to suddenly close the books with this new offspring. You’ll never hear anyone say that Meyhna’ch has gone heavily commercial, although there are clear differences in production and structure. I dare say it has become more accessible.
Tafkads: I say a resounding YES. Just because this is the first feat in a very long time from a legendary band belonging to a legendary group that was active in a legendary time for the genre. But also because it represents a new chapter for Mütiilation, with a new style that is definitely worth it.
Final conclusion: will we see Black Metal Cult somewhere in the Zware Metalen year-end list?
Yves: I’m a Mütiilation fan, always have been, but I don’t think it’s a band that deserves to be in a top five. There are bands that are much more innovative or bring more profound material, and that’s just talking about black metal. The band has immense cult value for me and this release does justice to that status. Maybe somewhere in fifteenth place or so?
Tafkads: It will most likely appear in my top 20 year-end list, if only because of misplaced feelings of nostalgia. In the readers’ list, I don’t expect it to rank high immediately, because the album simply doesn’t deliver what the title suggests. Black Metal Cult certainly exceeds the average and certainly has a lot of fine things to offer in terms of riffs, but I wouldn’t dare to call it exceptional. My main criticism is that it fails to evoke that typical Mütiilation atmosphere, and the fans were probably waiting for that…
Yves’s Score: 82/100
Tafkads’s Score: 85/100
Score:
84/100
Label:
Osmose Productions, 2024
Tracklisting:
- Black Metal Cult
- Hominicide
- From the Plains of Ice and Death
- Into the Cursed Necropolis
- The Fall of Islam
- The Mirror of Disillusion
Line-up:
- Meyhna’ch – All instruments
Links: