METALLIAN - Nazxul

April 18th, Anno 22

Totem – 1995 – Vampire
Live – 2002 – Decius
Iconoclast – 2009 – Eisenwald Tonschmiede
Irkalla – 2021 - Seance

Members

Vocals

Dalibor Backovic>>Ichor – Pestilential Shadows, Rift>>LUKE ‘BALAM’ MILLS>>Pestilential Shadows, Rift – Ichor>>DALIBOR BACKOVIC>>Ichor

Guitar

Sadistik Exekution, Solo>>Rev. Kriss Hades>>Sadistik Exekution, Solo – Grungeon>>Greg Morelli - LACHLAN MITCHELL - Drowning The Light, Nox Inferi, Toil, Ichor>>ADRIAN ‘WRAITH’ HENDERSON>>Drowning The Light, Nox Inferi, Toil, Ichor – Ill Omen, Temple Nightside, Austere, Funeral Mourning, Pestilential Shadows>>Desolate [Mitchell Keepin]>>Ill Omen, Temple Nightside, Austere, Funeral Mourning, Pestilential Shadows, Dearthe, Funerary Torch – Anwariad, Malice, Agailiarept, Pestilential Shadows, Rift, Rookwood, Drowning The Light>>LUKE ‘BALAM’ MILLS>> Pestilential Shadows, Rift, Rookwood, Drowning The Light

Bass

Dalibor Backovic>>Ichor – Pestilential Shadows, Drowning The Light, Nox Inferi, Rookwood, Toil>>ADRIAN ‘WRAITH’ HENDERSON>>Drowning The Light, Nox Inferi, Rookwood, Toil – Ichor>>DALIBOR BACKOVIC>>Ichor

Drum

Slaughter Lord, Mortal Sin>>Steve Hughes>>Eternum – Battalion, Ilium, Germ, Dungeon, Pestilential Shadows, Lord, Austere>>Tim Yatras>>Ilium, Germ, Blackened Angel, Autumn's Dawn - Backyard Mortuary, Autokannon, Burden Man, Crone, Damarill, Horrisonous, Illimitable Dolor, Pestilential Shadows, Temple Nightside, The Slow Death, Rookwood>>YONN MCLAUGHLIN>>Backyard Mortuary, Autokannon, Burden Man, Crone, Damarill, Horrisonous, Illimitable Dolor, Pestilential Shadows, Temple Nightside, The Slow Death, Rookwood

Keyboard

LACHLAN MITCHELL - Pestilential Shadows, Drowning The Light, Nox Inferi, Toil>>ADRIAN ‘WRAITH’ HENDERSON>>Drowning The Light, Nox Inferi, Toil

History & Biography

This black metal band was founded in Sydney, Australia in 1993. Several members of notable Australian underground bands were involved. Singer and bassist Dalibor Backovic, guitarist Adrian Henderson, keyboardist/guitarist Lachlan Mitchell and drummer Steve Hughes formed the act. Since then the band has experienced many line-up changes and the members have shown a lack of dedication and availability for many an other project.

Following a self-titled demo, which Vampire Records picked up, the band issued its debut album in 1995. The group opened for Impaled Nazarene. Shock Australia issued an EP called Black Seed in 1998. The band had in fact planned on recording a new full-length in early 1997. The 2002 live album was recorded at the Metal For The Brain IX festival of 1999. Morte was fired following this touring period and Backovic had returned for Metal for the Brain festival. The group participated on a couple of split releases, with some of the music being non-metal, but the next album again several years away and was on a new label. The band had been on hiatus for several years after. Australia’s Nazxul signed with Moribund Records in 2009 after reforming in 2008. An album called Iconoclast was released that summer. Eisenwald would release the reformed band’s album in Europe. Quickener Of The Dead was a 2010 single made available during the European tour. The band returned in 2015 to work on a new album entitled Sumus Inferno. Irkalla was the first sign of life in ten years.

The band has added theatrics and costumes to its shows whereas originally it had intended to be a studio project surrounded by mystery. The band has incorporated keyboards into its music, but at first listen is serious and heavy. Greg Morelli died in a motorcycle accident on November 20, 2008.

Reviews

NAZXUL - TOTEM - VAMPIRE RECORDS
This is a review of an older album, but seeing that it was only recently sent to Metallian Towers and that the effort is too notable to be ignored it is reviewed now. Another in the long list of Tolkien-inspired bands, Australia's mysterious five-piece describes itself as "extreme, brutal and evil black metal." That they certainly are, for there is no trace here of the weak European-driven synth-crap that these days parades as metal. It has to be pointed out that all black metal by virtue of its essence is extreme, brutal and evil, so the description is clearly redundant. Regardless, ignoring the 25-minute long last track which is mostly comprised of gusts of wind, etc. Nazxul (pronounced Nazul) plays akin to a mix of Impaled Nazarene and Marduk. Such is the extremity running in their veins. The album becomes more bottom-heavy on the track Distance Begins, but maintains its hyper-lashing stance. The guitars and vocals cloak the drums more often than not, but overall the sound is not a detraction. To summarize, if you wag your tail at Evol or Emperor you are bound to find this too heavy, but if you worship Marduk or Bestial Warlust this album needs to be in your collection. - Ali "The Metallian"

Interviews

Nazxul