As ash, as dust, as death.
Recent Prosthetic Records signees NIXIL are preparing to embark on the next chapter of their existence with their sophomore album, From the Wound Spilled Forth Fire, due out on August 25. The Baltimore, Maryland group’s second full-length treads a spiritual path toward liberation through abyssal exploration, from the microcosmic to the macrocosmic.
Expanding on their pursuit of liberation, NIXIL share: “From the Wound Spilled Forth Fire is the manifestation of will of five individuals in collaboration, clawing toward catharsis and escape from the oppressive grasp of this rotting society. It is about finding power through adversity and the increase of spirit that can be gained through the intentional death of what our feeble human minds perceive as “Self.” It is also a magickal act, containing hymns of rebellion and strength in honor of the teachers and muses along the ever winding path toward liberation.”
Having made their presence known with their 2021 debut, All Knots Untied, NIXIL has steadily garnered a loyal following through live appearances across the United States – sharing stages alongside Hulder, Evoken, Molder, Yatra, and an appearance at Maryland Deathfest 2022 along the way. Time spent on the road served to sharpen their collective musicianship and fully realise NIXIL’s desire for collaborative unity and authenticity within the group ahead of From the Wound Spilled Forth Fire’s creation.
NIXIL’s scorched earth approach to black metal’s sonic extremities offer a radical alternative to secular approaches to, and readings of, their craft. Where All Knots Untied was an introductory affair for the quintet, 2023 sees the band further expand upon concepts of chaos gnosticism, ego-death, self-empowerment and freedom.
With an attentive and explicit focus on the spiritual, NIXIL continues: “Our music is apolitical in the sense that we refuse to acknowledge the validity of any political system that seeks to take control over our lives. We are fervently antifascist as a steadfast statement of self and community defense, and as a rallying call: our lives are not up for a vote, and no one has the right to determine the worth of our existence.”
After solidifying their line-up in its current form, with the arrival of guitarist / backing vocalist Alden, NIXIL opted to record From the Wound Spilled Forth Fire live at Magpie Cage Recording Studio with J. Robbins. The resulting six songs seethe with a frenzied despair, whilst more ominous passages breathe with a disquieting existential terror in every percussive and rhythmically meditative trance, exactly as the band intended to capture before handing mastering duties to James Plotkin.
On the lead single, Collapsing the Poles, NIXIL adds: “Collapsing the Poles is our siren song, heralding the breaking of the chains of demiurgic oppression through the recognition and eradication of the restrictive tendencies within the self (microcosm), allowing for the advancement of adversarial energy outward toward the seemingly unshakably oppressive forces of That Which Is (macrocosm). It is also an invocation of Void, creating a sacred space for all that which we seek to put out into the world, and a reminder that even in the moments where it seems unreachable, freedom is always worth fighting for.”
NIXIL’s latest offering is more than invocation and manifestation alone, From the Wound Spilled Forth Fire is an invitation for those shackled by earth and flesh to dispel from regressive human made traditions and misplaced guilt and shatter the illusion of a self.
NIXIL is:
C.: vocals
Key: drums
Aurora: bass, backing vox
Alden: guitar, backing vox
Shane: guitar
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