Noctus

Jesu – Everyday I Get Closer to the Light From Which I Came Review

Jesu – Everyday I Get Closer to the Light From Which I Came Review

“I can’t say I went into this album with much faith considering both Infinity and Ascension, Jesu’s previous two albums, seemed so lopsided and emotionally detached. But fear not, Justin Broadrick, seems to have found his voice again. It might not be all that striking or eventful, but it perfectly encapsulates every musical avenue his Jesu project has travelled in a subtle and concise package that delivers an interesting and touching listen and makes the mouthful, Everyday I Get Closer to the Light from Which I Came, one of his strongest releases yet.” Everyone remembers Mr. Broadrick from his Godflesh days, but how is this whole Jesu thing working out for him?

Satyricon – Satyricon Review

Satyricon – Satyricon Review

“I don’t know what’s more unusual — the fact Satyricon are still around or the fact that one of the most pivotal Norwegian black metal bands are signed to Roadrunner. It’s probably fairer to judge the band by their merits instead of their label, and their laurels are notable. With such 90s classics as Dark Medieval Times and Nemesis Divina still held as black metal masterpieces even now, it’s hard to question their relevancy to black metal history. They’ve also had some arguably decent albums in the past decade too, but what about now and how does their self-titled LP stand up to its forbearers?” Noctus delves into one of the most anticpated albums of the year and let’s us all know if these evil wood trolls still have the dark magic of olden days.

Ataraxie – L’Être et la Nausée Review

Ataraxie – L’Être et la Nausée Review

“Jesus fucking Christ. From the moment the teaser came up on the YouTube showcasing some of the most foreboding death/doom I’ve heard in recent memory, I knew this album would be good; no question about that. Dealing with the subject of insanity and sickness, there really is no better genre of metal to match it — the crushing weight of sound along with the jarring shifts in tempo make it the perfect medium for some seriously skin-crawling material. The potential for this album was huge, especially knowing the track record this band has for great releases; Slow Transcending Agony being one of my go-to death/doom records. But it posed risks, the biggest being the length — keeping one’s attention for a double album.” Noctus isn’t afraid of a double album of hostile funeral doom/death, but should you be?

Lustre – Wonder Review

Lustre – Wonder Review

“It was about five years ago that I heard Lustre’s very first EP, Serenity, and it wasn’t awful I suppose. It was incredibly soft as black metal goes, to the point where I wouldn’t even call it black metal any more. It had a very prominent keyboard melody over the top of the “black metal” and just went on and on, but since the melody was good it didn’t feel too overlong. Where I didn’t really enjoy the EP all that much, I did see some kind of potential if the dude actually worked towards evolving his songwriting past the *cough* “hypnotic” structure, in which he steals Burzum’s flair for repetition and forgets everything that makes repetition actually work. Five years later I check out his latest recording and it’s pretty much as dreadful as it possibly could be. What on earth happened?” Noctus unleashed a vicious indictment againt the lack of progression by a black metal act and in related news, water is still wet.

All Pigs Must Die – Nothing Violates This Nature Review

All Pigs Must Die – Nothing Violates This Nature Review

“I suppose incorporating sludge and black metal into hardcore punk is the logical way to bring it to even more intense heights, all the while making it delectably filthy to those who like their metal abrasive, raw and covered in grit. Of all the bands to catch wind of this style, All Pigs Must Die have been in the forefront with a couple of really great releases under their belt – their short and sweet self-titled EP along with their more ambitious and equally impressive debut album, God is War. Both releases are absolutely furious, pummeling you with the huge, fast riffs reminiscent of grindcore and hardcore punk in one of the most in-your-face and take-no-prisoners approaches in recent memory.” How does the latest piece of filth from All Pigs Must Die hold up against their earlier works? Join Noctus and find out!

Obsidian Tongue – A Nest of Ravens in the Throat of Time Review

Obsidian Tongue – A Nest of Ravens in the Throat of Time Review

“Say what you like about the U.S. black metal scene, they know how to make so much out of so little. The number of American bands taking black metal in its arguably most minimalistic form and taking it in much more ambitious directions with long and winding song structures is quite staggering. But when you consider the roots of the black metal scene in the US, and the opus that made arguably the biggest impact on it, it doesn’t seem so surprising that so many bands follow almost directly in the footsteps of Weakling’s widely acclaimed album, Dead as Dreams. Noctus traces the family tree of USBM and gives a little insight on how it influences the new opus from Obsidian Tongue. BTW, that name sounds like a fruity tropical drink that comes with a tiny umbrella.

Lycus – Tempest Review

Lycus – Tempest Review

“Question: Where on earth is the good doom metal this year? No, seriously. The last few years have all been such strong years for doom and this year simply isn’t stepping up to the mark. With the new Moss album being the equivalent of someone taking a shit in the bong, and the new My Dying Bride being good but pretty passable, it’s pretty depressing to think that they’re the two most prominent releases this year…” Noctus wants some good doom and feels he hasn’t been getting his fair share in 2013. Can Lycus give him what he needs or will he continue to feel neglected?

Shining – One One One Review

Shining – One One One Review

Shining are a black metal band from Sweden with a very dystopian, hateful and depressive tinge to their music and a long history of albums and exploits to their name – such as violent live shows and staging the death of their vocalist. Hell, the vocalist even has a book to his name with the title “When Prozac No Longer Helps”, which speaks volumes of what to expect in the pages. So when you look at the title and album art of this album you might consider One One One somewhat of a surprise or a departure.” Noctus likes avant-garde stuff, so when Shining came along with a new album of jazzy weirdness, he was clearly the man for the job.

Summoning – Old Mornings Dawn Review

Summoning – Old Mornings Dawn Review

“It was seven years ago that I purchased my very first CD as a teenager who knew nothing about music other than the fact I absolutely loved it and wanted to find something completely different and obscure. I opened up a metal magazine and was instantly pulled in by the mysterious description and album cover to Summoning’s Oath Bound. The nature-influenced album cover, the Austrian black metal description, all of it seemed incredibly alluring so I bought it blindly — my first ever musical purchase. Needless to say, Oath Bound arrived and floored me.” Noctus has a heartfelt history with this group of Tolkien-obsessed black metal maven, but does their new album live up to his lofty (and insanely fanboyish) expectations?

Slidhr – Deluge Review

Slidhr – Deluge Review

“I wouldn’t blame you for having the thought in the back of your mind for giving Slidhr’s album a miss based solely on the fact black metal has become rather over-saturated with copycats and generally uninteresting bands. I hear the pitchforks raising already so allow me to stress that I adore black metal, it being one of my favoured subgenres of extreme metal, but I really have fallen out of touch with recent acts over the last five years.” I for one, support the pitchforks coming out and the forming of angry blackened mobs…after you read what Noctus has to say about Slidhr.