Aura Noir – Out to Die

So I am a little embarrassed to admit that I have been mixing up bands. Somehow I have been thinking Aura Noir was Blut Aus Nord. I do not know how I got thinking that, but every time I would see anything about Aura Noir I would go “Oh, that’s that band” and not listen to them. What really sucks about the whole situation is that here I am listening to “Out to Die” and I love it.

“Out to Die” looks to be the fifth full-length album from Aura Noir (who are Norwegian, Blut Aus Nord is French.) Looking over their discography I can see I have some work to do going back and getting acquainted with the band.

So what is Aura Noir actually like? On this album at least, they play a blackened thrash that is straight-up no frills metal. The music is in your face, unrelenting fast riffs and drums. There is not much cluttering up the mix, so everything sounds nice and tight. The vocals are harsh but very clear and audible and sit nicely within the mix. A lot of metal albums these days have a production that is a giant wall of sound that, while impressive, at times makes me long for a time when metal was simple and raw. This is the album I’ve been waiting for.

I’m certainly glad I decided to give this a listen and in turn realize the error I was making. This album is a killer collection of metal that you should not be without. The eight tracks are only 33 minutes of music, but they make every minute count. Do not make the mistake I did and overlook these guys. Give them a listen.