AlNamrood – Worship the Degenerate (Saudi Folk Black Metal Cool)
You’ve probably heard all the legends, so I won’t even bother starting there. Yes, this is that Saudi black metal band with folkish elements. And yes they’re probably the most recognized band from their country, which reputedly wants to kill them for even existing. I’ve sampled their work before, but honestly, though I enjoyed it, I was never as thoroughly impressed as I was with this, their latest, Worship the Degenerate.
This particular release, though it carries themes and sounds AlNamrood has been working since 2008, shows the band at their best, imo. So what is that? A mixture of traditional black metal with native, Saudi folk blood. Simple enough. In comparison to prior releases, however, Worship the Degenerate is more clear in its vision. AnNamrood does not simply dip into the folk cauldron for flavor, it is here crafted into traditional black metal to create a more unique form. Riffs breathe their ethnic twists and the folk sections are thus made stronger, seeming far less extraneous and less like artifice, while the vocals sweep around the music like a sandstorm swallowing a city whole. They’ve crafted a unique position for themselves over all these years, and here I’d say it’s in its most realized form to date.
Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls
AlNamrood – Worship the Degenerate
Shaytan Productions
Cover Art: AlNamrood
4.5 / 5
