Aura
Noir
Out To Die
Indie
Recordings
2012
The
new album from Norway's Aura Noir is a lethal dose of tough-as-nails
street thrash! Out To Die is setting my ears on fire and hasn't
left my player since I got it. UGH! One of the things you
will notice on Out To Die is the tempo seems to made an overall
increase from previous albums which is exemplified by the scorching
notes of album opener, Trenches. Blistering riffs and demonic
vocals shatter bones before them as the drums hurtle headlong into a
chaotic tornado. The Chugging stomp of Fed To the Flames brings
to mind a speedier, sawing version of Black Metal Jaw. Then the
slow-motion epilepsy of the chorus kicks in. The song carries an
imposing attitude filled with venom and spite. Next up is the
warbling Destruction-esque opening riff of Abbadon. The track
quickly erupts into a blackened thrash assault reminiscent of their
early days. Abbadon shifts gears into a reverse Celtic Frost riff
which is sliced right through by one of Blasphemer's maniacally classy
guitar solos. My favorite track on the album however is when Aura
Noir drop into low gear with the midtempo grumble of The Grin From The
Gallows. Blasphemer continues to spray feverish guitar solos
while the toe-tapping power of the song leaves you battered and
bruised. Priest's Hellish Fiend is a groove-laden rumbler with
elements of Slayer and Venom. Blasphemer's guitar solo on the
song is the best of the album. The guitars chug and churn like a
clenched fist to the gut. A confident demeanor is felt in the
very fabric of this rockin' song while the vocals are rabid. Fat
sawing riffs usher in the title-track. The song bristles with
menace while the drums hiss and the guitars hum like an engine.
Then the music explodes into violent speed
for straight-ahead, black-thrashing aggression. Out To Die
takes the previous works of Aura Noir and ups the ante. It is
perhaps not as good to me as Hades Rise, but that is splitting hairs
because this album blazes with infernal thrash intensity and leaves me
ravenous for more!!!