Istidraj - Muerte Mundi Militia

After hearing the "Lux Noir" teaser single(2 tracks) i had very positive feelings for this
album "Muerte Mundi Milita" (their fourth album) but i was not prepared to be hell-slapped around like this!

What i have heard so far from all of Istidrajs releases (they started in 93) is around 4
recent ones so i have an "ok" grasp on their nowadays sound which is a very effective and inspired
mix of old school head banging death/Thrash metal and  with a unhealthy splash of black metal on top of it all...

...so after the short brooding intro and the first song (which i have heard many times on the single) i was
bewildered! Istidraj have hear taken a almost full step into the black metal darkness and it sounds
really good! The whole soul of the band seems like they have stepped into a maelstrom of negativity
and misanthropy without loosing any of their creative fire grooves, every track is solid and they have a well
thought out dynamics both internal (songs) and external (album as a whole) with both blasting war marching parts to great layered almost melancholic melodies and to strong build ups. Both bleak and grand is a feeling that one is left with after listening and it is very easy to press on the repeat button to hear it all again...yes it builds nicely also with repeated listening.

2016 is the year Istidraj have made their big black great opus (released both on cd & tape) and it deserves
a well made 180 gram vinyl release! Its varied and devastating journey and is something that (at least)
Europeans would love to hear so a wider spread of this release would be a smart choice...we´ll see
what happens in the near future!

Production is also more massive (and is good balanced) and one can almost smell of fire & brimstone smoke
coming out of it. There is some small spoken samples here and there that is not so often found
in this genre but they fit just nicely into it all and gives it a bit of "the shitty situation the world is in now"
feeling but i cant really say i hear all that is said though...one song starts of with a short intro
that almost sounds like something from Ministrys "Psalm 69..." hehe but the actual song is
not but instead it blasts of with some evil death metal riffs...!

...Last track has nothing to do with the actual album and i dont really know if its wise to include
it as it is a electro/techno mash-up remix of Lux Noir song... i found it funny and entertaining but
some might be put off by it...Either way this album comes of recommended to most of you out there that
likes their black/death metal like demonic bulldozer high on both  priest(of any religion i suppose)
 corpses and the smell of a world that is on fire!

Best songs is 4,6,8(and 9 as i feel that 8 & 9 is bound together)

Track list:

1.     Praeludium ad Finem Mundi 03:06    
2.     Lux Noir             03:43    
3.     Triumphant Ends     07:20    
4.     Via Negativa             04:25    
5.     Thy Destroyer ov Life     04:59    
6.     Malak al-Maut             06:32    
7.     Illuminating Darkness     05:45    
8.     Regicidal Ad-Dajjal     05:52    
9.     Earth's Crematoria     04:12    
10.     Lux Noir (Re-Nir mix)     03:31

Tape released by Iron County Records
contact: ironcountyrecords@gmail.com

Cd released by Iron, Blood And Death Corp
FB page: https://www.facebook.com/ibdc666/?fref=ts