| Reviews for Nokturnal Mortum - Nechrist: | |||||||||||
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From The End Records | This is the third album by one of the most elite Black Metal bands in the world! Expanding in all directions the new album is more aggressive, raw and at the same time more dark and melodic. True to their Slavonic roots they blend folk music with extreme metal to create some of the most unique styles to be experienced. The band which consists of 6 members has also utilized the skills of a full folk orchestra to further expand their already complex and diverse sound! "NeChrist" contains 88 tracks! Be prepared for the ultimate Extreme Slavic Nightmare! It’s Cult. It’s Pure Underground. Review by: shcherba Erebus While many people are probably going to see this album as something of an atavistic slide for Nokturnal Mortum, replacing the technical brilliance, melodic creativity, and outright savagery of their last two releases with a kindler, gentler sound intent on exploring their own pagan/mythic origins and the music of their ancestry, I am actually convinced that nothing of that sort has happened here, and that this band has followed, with a ruthless determination, the program they set for themselves years ago as to the focus, motive, and defining purpose of their art. This album follows in a direct progression, on almost all fronts, the ideals, questions, and paths that the last album (the absolutely overwhelming 'To The Gates of Blasphemous Fire') set forth for this group of extremely original musicians. Listening to the two albums, the old and the new, back to back, should make this obvious to you. Last year's release mainly struck me as being original in the complicated (and at times, very technical) layering of dual keyboards over competing guitar riffs, and as such I was preparing myself for something that followed that light of composition even further: into Emperor-esqe symphonic landscapes that would up the ante once again for all the keyboard-laden black metal groups across the world. Nokturnal have instead with this new release followed another guide that was just as readily apparent on their earlier albums as their technical innovations: their desire for incorporating folk melodies, ancient traditions, and the pagan spirit of their homeland into their music. So, in truth, this new album seems to swing masterfully between these two poles of motivation: on one hand we have the symphonic Nokturnal Mortum, intent as ever on burnishing their shocking black metal brutality with layered keyboard effects, smoothing a bright rainment of melodic peaks over the caustic clashings of the vulpine battery beneath it, or swallowing high-velocity lungings and dartings with echoing chambers of atmospheric bliss - and then we have a new Nokturnal Mortum, given to incorporating all kinds of different instruments (sampled or otherwise) and ritualistic patterns of folk music into their program for domination, not neglecting to pause or stop and breathe deeply the forgiving/soothing calm of melodies that, springing as they do from their own heritage and heartland, can not help but speak directly to the soul. It is a unique and strange combination, one that has been tried before with varying levels of success (see Graveland, Enslaved, Satyricon, etc.) but which has never, I believe, reached this depth of exploration, manipulation, and total immersion. Nokturnal Mortum, it can be said, have finally gone native. While the main aspect of this album's atavism, as I mentioned it above, can be seen mainly in that term's positive aspect, referring as it does to the concentrated effort of these musicians to sink far down within their pagan/mythic roots and draw inspiration from those wells of creativity, it also is applied to the look and feel of this release. The cover art, the promo photos inside, and the production sound of this record immediately bring back something of the 'lost spirit' of black metal. The promo copy I was given reproduces everything in black and white (I'm not sure if the final version will be like this) and so the overall effect of this record's aesthetics is a concentrated reproduction of those first essential releases in the black metal movement that, for me, really defined the direction, effect, and possibilities of this form of music. I'm talking about Darkthrone here, of course. The album cover and back cover/tray insert pictures are directly reminiscent of 'Panzerfaust' or 'Under a Funeral Moon', and the total aesthetic effect of the packaging is purposely obscure, I feel, in the same manner as the packaging of Darkthrone, Gorgoroth, and bands of that principle. Pure underground, pure cult. When it comes to the sound of this recording, the same aesthetics apply. The entire soundscape of these songs seems to be compressed, claustrophobic, and purposely obscured by a lack of direct instrument clarity or a monotone mixing. While not reducing the range of the instrumentation or the ability of the music to come through clearly (especially when played at high volume) this production creates an admirable atmosphere of its own. Again, this is something that can be linked to Darkthrone - the sound of the recording casts shadows all by itself, and when at certain times the keyboards fall away, of their own accord, the cutting, raw, and ravenous buzzsaw of the guitars takes center stage in a small defined space, seemingly buried far underground, making Nokturnal Mortum sound like the most vicious garage band on Earth. The first track on this record, 'The Funeral Wind Born In Oriana', is a very good demonstration of the band's new concentration and purpose for this record, as it exchanges, in equal measure, the blasting black metal fury and dark atmospheres that they have become known for with passages of folk music superimposed over the flailing chaos of more traditional instrumentation. As the album progresses these two elements or musical directions are separated more and more, both within the body of the individual songs and in the structure of the album itself, so that an ample display of their different concentrations becomes more and more apparent. The second track, for example, 'Night Before The Fight', is almost a complete regression to their earlier style of combining an electrifying high speed maelstrom of metal severity with occult keyboard overtones and a stratified ambience - there aren't really any folk elements to be found here. The most idiosyncratic and original part of this song is one thrash riff (first found at 1:06 into the song) which is metamorphosized, at the conclusion of the track (4:30 - with a false segue at 4:16, see if you catch it), into an agonizing and sadistic doom crawl and then sent through several variations, where different tiers of atmospherics are added one on top of another. This is truly inspired composing. The next track then takes the album back to its first real flirtation with folk music, as the initial two minutes are a rambling exploration of ritualistic chants, ethnic (for lack of a better word) singing, pealing aged strings, rusty chimes, raven calls, a jew's harp, and bracing tribal drumming. When the metal finally comes in, at 1:56, with stripped-down strident and stomping power riffing, punching bass, searing keyboards (with another great swirling and reverberating keyboard melody underneath the main synths that perfectly complements the rhythm of the song), and excoriating vocals spitting out lyrics filled with malice, the track truly becomes transcendent. Amazing. Once again, I am filled with admiration for this groundbreaking and stubbornly original group of musical isolationists. Separated from the rest of the world, almost perversely secretive and close-mouthed about their own history or musical inspiration, this band proves that great music can be made in any place where ardent souls are intent on expressing their own true convictions with integrity and creativity. This album is easily one of the best black metal releases put out this year. Highly recommended. From The End Records Mysterio Review by: shcherba Aversion rating: 7 of 10 This is very interesting black metal from the Ukraine, exploring their Slavic roots through integrating traditional folk music. The production is very raw and primal, with keyboards creating a lush background over which precise and unrelenting drums/guitars create a wall of noise - somewhere in which choking screams fight to be heard. The main problem with the mix is that, as with many black metal bands, the keys can overshadow the guitars. Since the musicianship is so tight and not at all sloppy, I would prefer to make out some of the guitar lines rather than the distracting keyboard atmospheres. Nokturnal Mortum are exploring a lot of different directions with "NeChrist". The second track, "Night Before the Fight" contains some great classic metal riffs which are very unusual from this form of black metal; while the following "Black Raven" exemplifies the stronger folk elements - obscure instruments and chanting, before bursting into their distorted attack with no warning. It would be very interesting to learn how this album was recorded, using so many different instruments and a complete folk orchestra (in addition to the band’s six members). Many of the songs are sung in Russian, and lyrics are not included, which is both good and bad... The only thing about this disc that bothers me is the band’s flirtations with fascistic concepts and imagery. While their calls that "total war is sacred" can be ignored, track titles such as "The Call of Aryan Spirit" cannot. In addition, the band’s use of a swastika formed from barbed sickles, and a celtic cross designed of machine guns is enough to incite more than a little bit of apprehension about their conceptual ideas. As if that was not enough, the final (and possibly strongest) piece on the record, "Perun’s Celestial Silver", is placed at the symbolic track number of "88", while it is only the tenth song on the CD. While their take on this type of imagery is both original and visually intriguing on the simple matte finished black and white layout, the ideas are not. Musically Nokturnal Mortum are quite excellent, and I would recommend this to anyone who misses the unchallenged fury of "true" black metal. But, at the same time, I’m not a fan of the inclusion of boring, cliched imagery or the useless concepts behind them... [Notable tracks: Night Before the Fight, Black Raven, In the Fire of the Wooden Churches, Perun’s Celestial Silver] ____________________________________________________________ Chronicles Of Chaos #48 rating: 7 of 10 Nokturnal Mortum's latest release could be described as a mix of their previous two releases, _Goat Horns_ [CoC #31] and _To the Gates of Blasphemous Fire_ [CoC #38], though I find it to be slightly more in the vein of the latter. The music is fast and brutal black metal, with a significant folk influence and dual keyboardists. Folky parts are interspersed with black metal parts, and in places layered over them. While this isn't a particularly original combination, Nokturnal Mortum do have their own sound, due partly to their use of traditional Slavic folk, and the variety of woodwinds they use. The interplay of their dual keyboardists with the rest of the band also remains a distinguishing feature. The playing and production are once again top-notch. The playing seems a little more technical this time, though I find the production could've been a bit more powerful. Although there are 88 tracks on the CD, tracks 10-87 are each 4 seconds long, and consist of nature sounds (birds chirping, frogs croaking, etc.), leaving the CD with 10 longish tracks of brutal black metal. Ultimately, this is not a groundbreaking album, but it is well done, and is likely to appeal to fans of the style. Brian Meloon ____________________________________________________________ Encomium Issue II NOKTURNAL MORTUM's new masterpiece follows the path of "To The Gates Of Blasphemous Fire" album. Having mixed the aggression, hatred and fierceness of Black Metal together with Slavonic folk elements they created a totally unique sound for "Íåõðèñòü". The raging screams of Varggoth are more extreme and sounds like a warning protest against christianity, preparing all of us to the final war. Just listen to "The Call of Aryan Spirit" and you'll be common with them. Munruthel brings again his precise, hyper fast double bass attacks, which can crush every inch of your body. The guitars got a raw thrashy sound in the most songs, e.g. "Night Before The Fight" (killer one!) and "Íåáåñíîå Ñåðåáðî Ïåðóíà" (it's a new re-mixed version of a song from their "Lunar Poetry" album). Xaar Quath's well-audible roaring bass parts are surprised me a lot, 'coz he was everytime backgrounded till now. As you might know, there are two keyboard-players, namely Sataroth & Saturious. They've done a great work having injected tons of majestic and folk-influenced parts on the entire album. See songs like "The Funeral Wind Born in Oriana", "Íåõðèñòü: Òàíåö Ìå÷åé" or the most powerful one called "jesus' blood" for instance. You'll get over 70 minutes of "mind-torturing" music. So don't be a fool and order this elite Aryan-Slavonic N.S. Black Metal band's new album right now! Available from Oriana / Kolovrat Distribution & Prod.: Eugeny Gapon, P.O.Box 8622, 310144 Kharkiv, Ukraine. ____________________________________________________________ Review by: shcherba This was basically my first introduction to the band, although I had heard their Lunar Poetry demo before. I call it "first introduction" because Lunar Poetry at the time didn't really hold my interest for very long. For me it was just another black metal band doing what ever black metal bands have been doing for a very long time. It is obvious now that I didn't give it enough time to sink in and for me to realize the true genius of this band, because NeChrist is one of the best black metal albums I have ever heard. On this album, NM mix Ukrainian folk music and hyperspeed, necro black metal. They actually hired a full-fledged folk orchestra to do the folk bits, and it really helps. The folk passages are no longer "nice little emulated keyboard playing some wannabe folk passage", it's actual folk music. Their approach to the whole folk music thing is also unlike any other bandn out there. Instead of focusing on slow, gloomy folk like all other folk influenced BM bands, Nokturnal Mortum chose to focus on what could best be described as "happy" folk music. For example, in the first song, The Funeral Wind Born In Oriana, amidst the black metal chaos, you suddenly hear fiddles and hoots and hollering. You can almost see them dancing around a bonfire in moonlight. The folk section of the album also differs from most BM releases in that it has a raw sound to it, giving it a pagan feel. The first song is again a perfect example for this... as it fades in, you hear a wind instrument of some kind which has a... peculiar sound to say the least. I doubt you'd ever hear that sort of thing on any other BM/folk album, mostly because other groups are trying to make their folkish passages as "nice" and melodic as possible. NM don't seem to want to make things as easy for you on here... the folk found on NeChrist isn't even melodic at times, and is usually found interweaving with the black metal the band plays, unlike most other BM/folk releases, where folk actually serves as a interlude between the black metal parts, usually acting like an intro to the song. While the music is awesome and would appeal to a large number of the black metal crowd, their image will not. They seem to have hopped onto the "neo-nazi" band wagon, apparently thinking Satanism was not "true" enough anymore. While Satanism can probably be stomached by a lot of people, neo-nazism cannot. I personally don't have a problem with that... if they want to be big bad grim nazis, that's fine by me, even though they ARE Ukrainian, and it's well known that Hitler wasn't a big fan of the Ukrainian people. If it was just on the actual CD covers, too, it could be tolerated easier by people, but they tend to incorporate that sort of thing in their music... They have one song called The Call Of The Aryan Spirit, and the CD itself has 88 tracks (some sort of obscure Nazi reference... heard some people getting choked up about it, I have no idea what it actually means, though). This is all too bad, really... They probably would have enjoyed a lot more critical success if it weren't for their image. Ah well... whaddyagonnado, I guess. After all, in the end, it just comes down to the music, and make no mistake about it: NeChrist is one of the best releases in a tired genre, like, ever. I don't think I've heard anything like it ever since Bergtatt, and while it does not surpass Bergtatt (nothing ever will), it comes closer than anything else i've heard so far. I foresee the CD being in my CD player for a looong time. Review by: Smekermann just a bunch of nazi bullshit!!!!! nothing more. Review by: chemicalmind What a bunch of nazi bullshit!!!!!!!!!!!! There a bunch of lame-asses who had nothing to write about.. NAZI PUNKS FUCK OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Review by: Necrobutcher I have to say that this is one excellent piece of fine bm. Get it, you won't be disappointed Review by: telluriet I'll be short - one of my five favourite Black Metal albums of all time. Yes, there IS some Nazi crap on it - it made me think about whether or not it's "acceptable" to like this... well, the music is so overwhelming that it doesn't matter - and if the sole purpose of "art" is to ask questions instead of giving false answers then Nokturnal Mortum have accomplished the task with bravure. Plus, noone complains about Nazi statements made by Norse bands, do they? As much as I detest this - at least now there's someone on my side. Review by: zaragil So fast and brutal...i fucking love this album!Great lyrics against the Judeo Christian bastards and extremely dark and evil atmosphere.Best songs are Funeral Wind Born In Orania,Balck Raven,The Call Of Aryan Spirit,Jesus'Blood and Nechrist - the dance of swords.Every song on this album is great!10 stars! Review by: Nokturnal_Sorg OK, what to say about this? It's one of albums from one nazi-oriented BM bands. They begun as quite normal satanic band, but the evolutin of their lyrics has ended in this. When I look at the swastikas included in their new version of logo, I ask myself, how some Ukrainian (of course I know, that it isn't only in Ukraine) can be so stupid and follow this nazi bullshit, the ideology, in which's name his nation should be eliminated or enslaved not so long ago? Well, I tell use you brains and go to listen to another music. There are many BM bands, which play better music and which don't pollute your minds with such a shit. I'm tolerant to many believes and attitudes, but not to this in any way. So I give 1/10. Fuck off, NM! Review by: racik wtf... ugliest crap! it doesnt deserve the name black metal. this is the biggest shit i listened to. the lyrics are on the primitivest level possible (i never read so shitty black metal lyrics). this music sounds like some bunch of nazi-punkasses, degradating black metal. better listen to stuff like: Deathspell Omega, Svartsyn, Funeral Mist, Clandestine Blaze, Blut Aus Nord... Review by: 6gh6st6 hello!i'm from ukraine, the motherland of nokturnal mortum.i just think that nehrist is the best album of this band!hey, lost souls, do you agree with me? Review by: loki_darkelf I have had the chance to hear and compare many bands coming from eastern and slavic regions. This far I have been positively surprised a few times by some obscure,creative underground death/black groups, also folk and mythology influenced music. Still I never fully believed that any band from slavic regions could compete with the purest of black metal in the scene. And it was true, I cant say any bad words about the technique and the good will of those who have followed the northern warriors, but yet the most pure comes from up north, the areas filled with coldness and nature ruling so endless. Now about Nokturnal Mortum. Im Not afraid to call them the most impressing and convincing classic black metal form East Europe that i have ever heard. The way they take their music and additudes to the extreme is admirable. Music is very dirty and yet direct, pleasent in melodies and inspiring in riffs, creates a very wide and ancient atmosphere. I absoulutely respect the combination of heathen and folklore elements + patriotic pride of their nation and race. I think it gives so much more meaning to the music and the style, thats what i expect to hear in black metal, thats the dimension I miss in so many other baltic and slavic bands. Nechrist is for sure one of my all time favorites and i cant find reason why all self-respecting black fans shouldnt have this in their collection. Review by: Baltic for bands like these is no place in blackmetal scene!!! fucking nazi parasites! worship the true black metal bands not these faggots! +hail to Venom+ Review by: vrana What a fuck????!!!!... Excuse me Nokturnal Mortum... Im an old black metaller (37 years old) and I'm hearing this album 'till now!!! (2008)!!!... and you know?... this is fucking masterpiece!!!... I don`t mind ideologies, I mind music and "nechrist" is one of the best black metal album that I ever heard in my life..!!... I hear black metal since it's first period (venom, hellhammer, etc.)... this album mark the third wave of this genre... incomparable, unique... mix folk and personal influences and for me, is just pure and unholy true black metal, brutal, convincent... pagan... Nokturnal Mortum is really a true black metal band... bye... Review by: northvisions
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