Nazghor A World Ablaze Review
Nazghor
A World Ablaze
Self-Released
2026
I have to give credit to Flight of Icarus over at Metal Trenches for exposing me to this band. Every few weeks or so, he posts a video on YouTube where he listens to a number of metal artists (of varying sub-genres) on Bandcamp and gives his first impressions. Frankly, it's my favorite type of video he does, but they're all pretty solid. That said, there are times when some of the highlighted bands sound like a razorback yielding swords engulfed in flames fighting off the legion of the dead and duh...that makes it mandatory for me to check out.
When sampling "Baptized in Blood" from Nazghor's A WORLD ABLAZE, my interest was immediately piqued. One of my favorite offerings, the song showcases just how raw and intense the song writing can be and the mid-song scream of "she was baptized in blood!" is chilling. The opening riffs brought me to Satyricon, but the atmospheric and melodic black metal turned into much more than that. Upon listening through the entire album, it became clear that the band's sound contained the DNA of death, progressive and even thrash metal.
Opener "Cursed and Unblessed" is a barnburner from the get go and its aggression and hatred set the tone for the rest of the album. "Bathe in Ashes" sounds like it's a modern-era Dark Throne track with those oppressively heavy riffs and mid-tempo crawl that throws everything it has at you with a beautiful piano piece closing it out. "The Black Light of the Spectral Keeper" reminds me of their fellow countrymen, Dissection, and sends me through a snowstorm of blood that burns the eyes and cuts the skin."Within Crimson Kingdom" has a major Amon Amarth influence, but you'll get no complaints from me as I love AA.
When it's all said and done, Nazghor are much more than just a black metal band. They are able to cohesively intertwine copious other influences into their music making them considerably more interesting than your traditional black metal bands. If you're a fan of the genre and are looking for something different, you've found it.
~TJ