Nox – Ixaxaar / 2007 Earache / 9 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/nox333 / http://www.earache.com / Reviewed 21 June 2007
Nox is a band that plays an absurdly fast brand of metal. In fact, it is my opinion that they are one of the top five or ten fastest acts out on the market. While I have no reason to believe that they use sequencing on any of the tracks on “Ixaxaarâ€, to have a drummer of the caliber to make the skin hits during “Choronzonic Chaos Gods†work so well is a feat in itself. There is so much in the way of material present during the disc’s opening track that the three and a half minute runtime feels as if the band has went on for five or six. However, there are enough in the way of twists and turns to keep individuals interesting and wanting more from “Ixaxaarâ€.
The band comes back with much of the same sound for “Blind Mad Godâ€, which gets me a little worried. The band seems to be very talented in the creation of a specific style of speed metal, but there is not enough differentiation between “Choronzonic Chaos Gods†and “Blind Mad God†to keep individuals up at the same level of energy that they were at the end of the first track. There is a little bit of change that occurs during “Darkness Undyingâ€, but this track sees Nox move back a step.
This is because the band relies on a high amount of repetition, to the point where it sounds that there are only three or four different segments of a track where prior efforts have went into the tens of different sounds. The fury and talent of Nox is without fail; it just seems like there is not enough in the way of twists and turns present during “Ixaxaar†to keep things interesting. The guitar solo that is present during “Zacar Od Zamran†is a good beginning for the band, but this fizzles out way too fast to change the overall tone of the track. The band is still young – this is their debut into the world of metal – and I feel that they have the ability to be a staying force in metal music. If the band can come up with more material for each of the tracks on their next album, chances will be good that the act will rocket up the notoriety scales. Until then, the band creates an album that seems to repeat itself a little too much for my tastes.
Top Tracks: Blind Mad God, The Jesus Sect
Rating: 5.4/10