Quite recently I got caught in an argument about why it is considered ‘normal’ (first define what normal means without putting yourself up as the most stellar and rational example and then come back to this discussion… I assume I’m writing this review for my own entertainment as no one can actually do that) for metal to oppose Christianity and everyone and their grandma is fine with it… but all of the sudden when a band from a non-christian country appears on the scene, fighting against the religion they were forcefully fed as children (because that was considered ‘normal’, like Christianity (or its fractions) was in most of the western world) everyone hates them. Because they are different and as such they don’t belong in this scene. They shouldn’t play music like that, that is just wrong.
We’ve already established the self-proclaimed uberlords of bestial Black Metal scene / War Metal (as in American bands ) rarely deliver these days and most frequently get pissed on by someone from a country where most of the population belongs to non-christian religions. While your first thought was probably India who is currently presenting the most feral war metal we’ve heard so far, I’ll be talking about a band from Turkey.
My attention was drawn to Meluniblis when their first full length ‘Kill the Kuffar’ was released in 2023. The music was very reminiscent of early Blasphemy… and whenever someone is capable of writing music in the vein of one of my personal favourite bands, without making it sound stale, unimaginative and just plain ‘xeroxed’, I’ll perk my ears into their general direction. The band’s second offering, a split with another Turkish act, Lagzin Urug, promptly titled ‘Tyrannic War between Black Sharia and Militant Profanity’ released on the first day of 2025 (currently only exists as a digital release, but hopefully hard copies should see the light of day some time soon), I was sold.
While this band, or its sole member doesn’t promote his work on a daily basis and making empty promises about “new things coming” and “the most brutal ever”, the second full length came off as a bit of a surprise. Bands who start off that promising and prospective usually disband within a couple of months, especially if they create their music in an unwelcoming environment, where opposing the law could even be punishable with death. It takes some serious balls and guts to make it happen, but honestly, knowing that violence delivers more violence, that’s exactly what’s happening here. Chaos and fear from the surroundings are taken, transformed and released back as more chaotic and more fear inducing. No big science behind it, yet incredibly effective. No gimmicks, no pretentiousness, no bull-shittery, just straightforward bestial black metal (and no, there’s no such thing as bestial war metal, what you’re making is just noise) how it was and still is supposed to be done. The good, old, effective, difficult to forget way.
We are currently in the time where political leaders took over the roles of gods, therefore the original gatekeeping on the musical scenes is heavily influenced by not accepting anything outside of ‘normal’. The problem, as I’m sure I pointed out several times before, is no one can define ‘normal’ without basing the view of it on themselves. Music on the other side, is either good or bad and as such it doesn’t care what negative opinion you have on it. Each real, proper musician makes the music they would want to hear / support / buy, so if you like someone’s output, go support it and respect it for the music, no matter what kind of upbringing / political views / religion etc. it was built. The hate is the same, just the foundation is slightly different.
