Covenant - Nexus Polaris (1998)

A year after the release of the mighty, 'In Times Before the Light' Bergen, Norway based band, Covenant expanded their line-up with the addition of some key members of the Norwegian black metal scene as well as taking their music in a largely different direction. Nagash and Blackheart (the bands original two members) returned alongside guitarist, Astennu (Dimmu Borgir, Carpe Tenebrum, Nocturnal Breed), drummer Hellhammer (Mayhem, Arcturus, Thorns, etc.) and keyboardist Sverd (Arcturus), which in a lot of ways made the band out to be super group of sorts with Nagash at that time playing bass in Dimmu Borgir he probably had no troubles selling his side project to the label boss at Nuclear Blast Records.

'Nexus Polaris' saw Covenant taking their music in a more melodic black metal direction with ample synth enrichment, backing female vocals (courtesy of Sarah Jezebel Deva of Cradle of Filth fame) and a squeaky clean production job, which in all seriousness made it sound barely black metal in character. If you've never heard this album perhaps the simplest way to describe it is to say its a perfect merger of Dimmu Borgir's late 90's output (Enthrone Darkness Triumphant & Spiritual Black Dimensions) with Cradle of Filth's, 'Cruelty and the Beast' release. I'm sure true followers of black metal and those that adored the bands debut were disappointed, heck for all I know woman had miscarriages, men's masculinity was brought into question and children cried out in fear after hearing it, but regardless I've never been able to resist this album due to how well each song is wrote.

Each of the eight songs have a fantastic sense of flow to them with superb melodic guitar melodies, which may in sight furious head banging at times as well as some awesome drop dropping solos to boot. Sverd's keyboard and piano melodies have always reminded me of old Emperor, Dimmu and Cradle all rolled into one, while Nagash's vocals were less troll-ish this time around being hardly extreme and are in fact fairly easy to understand, save for some of the odder moments on this record when he screeches chaotically, but I figure that just adds diversity to the whole thing. Sarah's backing vocals are special, because she actually sings, in an operatic style of sorts, whereas at the time in CoF she was mostly just doing background speaking/howling/whatever.

Eight songs deep I find very little fault in this record. The powerful opener, 'The Sulphur Feast' sets the style of the album firmly in place from the get go with roaring fast drums, a killer solo, great piano tinkling and excellent vocals from both Nagash and Sarah. Probably my favorite song of the album is, 'Bringer of the Sixth Sun' sinse the ending is breathtakingly awesome with a lengthy instrumental part that absolutely kills and crushes everything, whereas the same could be said for, 'Planetary Black Elements' since the last couple of minutes are similarly powerful, but perhaps a bit more haunting in its overall delivery. 'Chariots of Thunder' closes out the album quite well too in a slower, but slightly more epic style, but I dig it all the same.

As I mentioned in my previous Covenant review this band was the one that really got me into black metal in the first place, even if this album isn't very black metal at all. Take it for what it is, and what, 'Nexus Polaris' is, is one damn fine album.