Artificum Nex certainly earned their spot in the list of interesting blackened bands from Russia. Their approach to the genre is very interesting. In stead of blasting out chaotic and primitive black metal, this quintet nudges towards the melodic variant. The music reminds me of something between Rotting Christ, Marduk, In Flames and even My Dying Bride.
I really dig songs like opener 'The Rotting Temple' and the highly immersive 'From The Grave' but the entire album is enjoyable. The tempo usually isn't extremely high, although blast-beats often appear and double bass drums continuously hammer on the listener's skull. Headbanging is perfectly possible, certainly with crushing songs like 'Back To The Dark'. This definitely comes recommended for any melodic metal fan out there.
Serge