One of France's true innovators in the black metal scene, Blut Aus Nord came into being in the mid-nineties and released a few albums to some fanfare, but it's The Work That Transforms God, released in 2003, where things really get interesting. The basics of this album is an odd, very dissonant, tone-warped guitar sound, complex programmed drums, frequent ambient interludes surrounding the harsher numbers, topped with mostly typical (and often processed) black metal rasps, with songs ranging in tempo from rapid-fire speed to almost doom droning. Yet this description doesn't quite convey how unique this album is. It's harrowing, evil stuff, and while it's undeniably heavy, it doesn't resort to mindless bludgeoning like many modern black metal bands do. With The Work That Transforms God, Blut Aus Nord have acheived something nearly impossible -- their style is clearly within the confines of true black metal, and yet this album sounds like no other band.