[Review:] Nadir - Extinction Rituals LP (03.05.23)

As metal and hardcore grow a little older together, we’re definitely seeing a lot more of a nuanced osmosis between the two. Bands are weaving a more deft touch between both styles these days, in ways that feel unique whilst also paying clear homage to their roots.

One such band which has done so excellently, is Nadir. I must admit, ‘blackened hardcore’ has become a term almost (if not already) at levels of scene-saturation, even if it’s something I’m very partial to.

But this. Wow, this. Extinction Rituals is a masterful exercise in how to meld the two.

When I call these guys ‘blackened hardcore’, we’re not just talking a few token tremolo sections and maybe one snide arpeggio here and there.

Nay, this album is first and foremost grim and frostbitten to the bone, whilst comfortably sitting amongst a thuggish and caustic ‘core energy.

The first track, self-evident ‘Intro’ is a morose teaser. Marrying dark ambient with slightly industrial motifs, it’d feel just at home in the spookiest of video game OSTs.

Which, in hindsight, seems a deliberate bluff. Preparing you only slightly by the end with some anthemic-sounding drums, we’re elbowed right to the fucking temple as ‘Iron Lung’ veritably rams into us, full pace.

Sheets of slightly-dissonant power chords and tremolo hit us at warp speed. There’s nary a second to give pause, maybe for odd chord or two to ring out, couple with Ole Wik’s hardcore barks. Then, shit gets even more hectic, descending into blasting territory around the midway mark, courtesy of Jonas Bengtson‘s incredible efforts on the skins. Lumbering underneath him is the unforgiving presence of Erik Gulleson on bass, whom provides a low-end with sharpness and grit.

Jagged arpeggios puncture the track , bleeding off into to simple leads towards latter half, which then picks pace back up into blasting right near the end.

Yeah, a *lot* happens in three and a half minutes here. Hell, the whole album is busy, but in an overcomplicated fashion.

Take for instance, ‘The Old Wind’. Kicking off with a lonesome wail of high-tempo guitar atop sombre backing and rolling toms, this stuff could’ve easily have scrabbled out from the burning debris of a Norwegian church in the early 90’s.

Magnus Wig and the bands’ vocalist/guitarist Ole, provide an endless dual-guitar supply of angular leads, arpeggios and very black-metal riffage. It’s a sharp contrast to the punctuated, raspy barks. Then again, not really – which is an interesting dynamic.

There’s breakthrough classic metal gallops here and there, right alongside a couple of big ol’ chunky chord bashers. Rather than take up space or sit awkwardly besides the subtler, darker side of their repertoire, the brief punky jaunts feel equally at home amongst the grim, fast blasting.

Speaking of the classics – the simplistic, lead-driven intro to fourth track ‘Absolute’ conjures up old Enslaved, Dark Tranquillity or In Flames.

This is quickly ushered aside by one big chunky jackboot of a riff that, once again, deftly weaves a feeling of very-black-metal malevolence with some equally helpless but loud corrosive hardcore.

You can almost hear the restraint involved when things slow down, here – which is never for long. There’s a really clever interplay between the aforementioned use of melodic death metal tinges with a chaotic metallic-hardcore energy.

It’s almost as though those brief forays into power-chord territory are a gasp of air between the grimacing and unrelenting evil of so many blastbeats.

Again, providing just enough reprieve in this sense, is the spillover into ‘Beyond The Shadow Of Death’. The opening chords could sit right at home on early Converge, with only just  enough dissonance to be slightly off-putting, but overall enticing.

Watertight rhythm handles the brief reprieve bemusedly, but the gates absolutely fly open around the one-minute mark. There’s a thrash-metal gallop here, giving a sense of breadth that betrays a ‘blackened hardcore’ moniker. Fans of Necrophobic and Skeletonwitch will appreciate this track, as the vibe is transparently beer-and-battle-jackets for much the time.

There’s a wide range of disquieting and clever inflections from many metal subgenres in this album, but it’s often so brief or so cleverly interwoven that you’ve got to go back for seconds. That feels a lot more well-baked than just chucking in a motif for the sake of it.

As the mournful outro of ‘Beyond’ takes its’final gasp, a phoenix is reborn in the impish energy and immediacy of ‘Tenebrae’.

There’s no tease here. The track bursts straight from a portal to Oblivion, frantic and hellish in tempo. It takes a good couple of minutes to course-correct from this blasting fury, into sections that feel very KEN Mode. Even the relatively straightforward stompy midsection is infused with all manner of slides, sharp lead pangs, drum rolls and other tasty treats. 

I am absolutely loving this bands’ abrupt refusal to just bash out some chugs and call it a day. Every riff feels well-articulated.

Same deal with next track, ‘A Name On Every Rope’.

Rather than what a lot of bands seem to be doing lately, i.e. giving their hardcore framework a light dusting of black metal, Extinction Rituals feels very much in the reverse.

This track, for instance, is a twisting, turning hell-hole of frostbitten chord progressions and unapologetically relentless rhythm. Hell, even the up-tempo cadence of the otherwise ‘core-inspired vocals feels just right in such a grim environment.

As a whole, the track feels… cold. Hell, the album does. In a good way. This track, like others, encapsulates a tangible sense of desperation and helplessness, like being lost and trudging through endless snow drifts on your own.

‘I Strid’ does exactly nothing to shift that aura, either.

Barrelling through a high-octane first minute of blasts, we’re given permission to breathe. Momentarily. There’s a brief circling around some effects-laden arpeggios that wouldn’t sound too out of place on a classic Metallica record, but these guys don’t have us fooled by now.

Sure enough, there’s a return to the roguish trickster method of delivering down-tempo pockets with plenty of jagged riffs and off-kilter time changes.  Not too long afterwards, though, the song reaches an intensely fast and focused crescendo.

Choosing to hit consistently and with a steady keel, ‘The Beginning At The End’ opts instead for straight-up bludgeoning, the vocals taking on a more guttural bellow. Classic black metal and caustic hardcore meld into one, leads and tremolo bouncing sharply off palm-muted thuggery.

There’s then an almost tribal brief drum-bass refrain, leading to what could  be considered the closest thing to a traditional breakdown on the album. But even then, the air hangs with subtle anticipation, shaken off once more and by some of the most visceral howls on the album. 

Brandishing the sharpest end of the black metal sword, closer track ‘Extinction Rituals’ bursts forth with a vomitous fury that complements the slower drawl of the penultimate track before it. I keep thinking I’ve heard the fastest on offer, and this track outdoes the band yet again. Everything about this track just refuses to relent.

From simple, fast palm muted chugging to blasting walls of riffage, the whole thing evokes climbing a perilous mountain in the dead of night. 

Finally deciding to come some sort of compromise, after one final brutal eruption, the ending guitar wails and sludgy rhythm provide a moments’ peace.

Damn, man. I am very glad I caught wind of this slice of caustic, frostbitten blackened hardcore.

Nadir, fantastic efforts. I’m already eager to see what future treats you guys have in store for us.

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Extinction Rituals drops on the 5th of May. (EDIT - being an old article, the album’s out on all streaming platforms plus Bandcamp links etc. Get amongst it! - Brady)

Until then, check this talented Norwegian act out on their Facebook and Bandcamp (which also includes the excellent EP, The Great Dying).