The only constant is the blackness of the shape. Everything else, including the shape itself, is in a constant state of flux for Black Shape Of Nexus. From the very beginning, in 2007, when they released their crushing, suffocating self-titled debut, it was very clear already that some very dark and menacing clouds were gathering over Mannheim, in south-western Germany. Their first live shows confirmed the worst, as audience after terrified audience left each successive gig with a feeling of dread and unease, not to mention severe neck pains. The next release, ‘Microbarome Meetings’, wasn’t so much a step but a running jump with both feet into left-field, a limited-edition display of horrific drone, showing this sextet can pummel your mind into nothingness in a variety of ways, most of which were combined on their ‘Negative Black’ masterpiece, which saw the light (but very little of it) in 2012. A monument of heaviness and harshness, it went far beyond doom or drone or noise or post-anything, beyond genres and categorizations, as if pulled through a black hole and coming out as something unspeakable on the other side. Now, after a compilation that only highlighted how essential B-SON’s adventurous, meandering black sonic miasma has been throughout the years – ironically called ‘Nothing New’, because taking yourself too seriously is stupid – they return with a new beast called ‘Carrier’. It is a monster record, where the band ventures out further than they ever have before, drenching the songs in atmosphere, aggression and/or even speed, occasionally (or lack thereof, mostly, don’t worry), through a tour de force that will exhaust all but the completely deaf. Which we’re all just a little closer to be after each listen. The album cover is self-explanatory and it reveals the one true master that has always been behind Black Shape Of Nexus in each and every colossal song they drop on us – sound, as it emanates loudly and thickly from a stack of amps, louder and louder each time until your brain is finally reshaped.
