Ixaxaar

As part of their publicly stated mission to "conjure the unspeakable through the most intense music possible" (yikes!), Dutch death metal technicians Nox custom-composed their first album to "function as a gateway between chaos and this world" — hence its chosen title of Ixaxaar, which in occult terminology, appears to signify the seal of Hell itself. Although, in practical terms more familiar to us inhabitants of this earthly plane, the bottom line on Ixaxaar is that it's filled with raging, blackened death metal; as outrageously brutal and relentlessly fast as that of Polish terrors Behemoth, minus the necessary creative sparks that would keep it from sounding like Hell on earth to many mere mortals. Indeed, were it not for Nox's stunning dexterity at wielding their chosen instruments of destruction, Ixaxaar's nine, mostly indistinct tracks, would have little going for them, and even listeners who value pure performance over songcraft will probably only get so many kicks from this blastbeat-driven onslaught. They'll also want to have a Necronomicon handy to help them decipher mystifying aural blasphemies such as "Choronzonic Chaos God," "Zacar Od Zamran," and "Zazaz" (not to mention Seth Van De Loo's Cookie Monster growl), while awaiting the album's scant identifiable numbers ("Blind Mad God," "Intoxicated with Death," for example) to surface from the rampant slaughter. Adrenalin junkies be welcome; others beware — this album isn't faint of heart.