Lux Occulta
Hailing from the same country as metal giants Behemoth and Vader, Poland’s Lux Occulta somehow managed to slip under the radar despite releasing one of black metal’s most original records, 2003’s "The Mother and the Enemy." Pulling together a mixture of various styles in a way that’s almost unheard of in black metal, the album mixes blasting black metal passages with stop-start jazz rhythms and numerous other influences. From the band themselves:
"Half of the album is sick and technical extreme metal and the other half is trip-hop and some contemporary avant-garde stuff. People either love it or hate it. Us included."
Their label did nothing to promote the album, and eventually folded, leaving the band scrambling to find a new label or perhaps just release the album for free. Finally in 2007 the album got a proper re-release, and is now available worldwide. Fans of technical metal should definitely check this out, and open-minded black metal fans should dig it as well.
Apparently the band is now on hiatus, but may put out more work in the future. You can check the Lux Occulta MySpace page or the Lux Occulta Official Website (less frequently updated) for the latest news on the band, along with some sample songs.
