The Kovenant (ex Covenant)
Nexus Polaris

THE REVIEW

The Covenant emerged in the early '90s, following in the footsteps of legends like Mayhem and Emperor, but initially remained in the background of the international black metal scene.
Also hailing from Norway, they had to wait until 1997 to gain some fame outside their country of origin, with the release under the Nuclear Blast label of “Nexus Polaris”, an album that is a hybrid between pure original black metal and various classical and electronic experiments.
Subsequently, after their explosion of fame and winning a Grammy (the first extreme metal band in history to win one), The Kovenant (a new name chosen to resolve the homonymy with the Covenant pioneers of EBM) evolved their style, which increasingly leaned towards industrial with the 1999 album “Animatronic”, until they embraced absolute electronics with their latest album “S.E.T.I.”.
However, I believe that “Nexus Polaris” remains the highest peak of their discography.

The album starts with “The Sulphur Feast”, which begins with a very fast arpeggio accompanied by a dragging scream, then develops into a symphonic black track tinged with death featuring piano inserts, a peculiarity of the album.
The second track “Bizarre Cosmic Industries” features a rougher guitar rhythmic section, it is a progressive song where, among other things, the classical digressions become more pronounced.
Then comes “Planetarium”, a song more purely black than the first two but supported by an electronic sound carpet.
In “Last Of The Dragons” the black element is still present, but some more dragged-out guitar riffs again suggest melodic death and at times doom. Additionally, for the first time, we hear the sound wall of Hellhammer (renowned drummer from Mayhem and notoriously involved in countless black and non-black projects).
We've reached what I consider the most beautiful track of the album, namely “Bringer Of The Sixth Sun”, dominated for large parts by a riff still leaning towards the Dimmu Borgir style and possessing a central part as melodic as it is fierce. A track that embodies all the musical variations of the album.
Next is “Dragonheart”, the only fully black track of the album with its dark and oppressive melodies, although it presents itself as quite progressive as well. In this song, Hellhammer's fury on the drums intensifies significantly.
“Chariots Of Thunder”: here we are at the first industrial beginning in The Kovenant's history. The song then continues at a fairly measured pace, maintaining the haunting tone of the beginning.
The album closes with “Planetary Black Elements”: once again a track that is essentially symphonic black, but experimentation becomes more persistent as the song progresses.

In my opinion, a beautiful album: inspired, technically excellent (especially Hellhammer), but probably very cold on the emotional level.
Nevertheless, since I consider this album's music to be absolutely ends in itself, a wonderful demonstration of creativity, I still give the highest rating to the album and to an avant-garde metal band.