Noctus loves sludgy stuff and according to him, Void of Sleep fits the bill nicely. Who can argue with doomy but catchy music from Italy anyway?
Noctus
Amenra – Mass V Review
Noctus is with us again to question Amenra’s Neurosis influence, sense of heaviness and their ability to us Roman numerals in an approriate way. Don’t get too upset about it, man, those things are confusing!
Merrimack – The Acausal Mass Review
Noctus is back with a detailed and calculated dissection of the new album by French black metal mongers Merrimack. Can you believe these guys have been riding the blackened beast for almost 20 years?? Good on them!
Monolithe – Monolithe III Review
Long lost scribe, Noctus makes a big return with a review of the new Monolithe opus. He seems quite sure their unique style of spacey funeral doom with beautiful melodies makes this a major contender for album of the year. Welcome the prodigal son back and read this here review!
Ragnarok – Collectors of the King Review
It’s about time someone took black metal to some new exciting levels. A music style can only go so far until it becomes somewhat stale, and for every album released, there are ten others that do the same thing – and almost none of the time is it markedly better. Black metal is no exception, and I have a lot of respect for bands that try something new and innovative. But there are some bands that don’t need to. Some bands, no matter how many albums they release of the same style, never grow stale and are always the best of the trade when it comes to the style of music they perform.
Triptykon – Eparistera Daimones Review
There are some musicians that are capable of making a sound, no matter how simple, but always make it sound distinctive to the composer. In the same way, all of Thomas Gabriel Warrior’s creations have a distinct feeling and mark to them, which is why I’m so glad we have this new band on the scene. Warrior has teamed up with three young musicians to continue his creation through the new name, and judging by this record, Triptykon is a name we’ll he hearing more of in the not so distant future.
Warrior had stressed before that this CD would be Monotheist part two, which to me is a relief. After the brilliant Monotheist, I was left wanting much, much more. I’m not saying that Monotheist was too short or unsubstantial, Monotheist had the stamp of Warrior plastered over every sound that was put on the record. If you were in love with Monotheist, like me, you would have had nowhere else to turn to get a similar experience. The terrifyingly gripping feeling just couldn’t be found anywhere else in the metal scene.
Alcest – Écailles de Lune Review
Alcest are a band hyped beyond comprehension, but not without merit or reason. In their debut, Souvenirs d’un Autre Monde, there is something beautifully otherworldly about the sound Alcest creates; A mysterious aura of pure ecstasy – a melancholic veil. I call it a veil because the beautiful melodies and personality of Alcest’s music are just a disguise, hiding a narcissism and lack of ingenuity. The “oo’s” and “aa’s” which riddle Alcest’s music may be very pleasant, but this angry metal guy finds himself screaming for Neige, the project’s motor and vocalist, to bloody sing something, rather than simply using his voice to portray nothing. It’s almost frustrating to me that I’m totally in love with this band.
Since the first Alcest record was released in 2007, Neige has gone into other projects, such as the ever-popular Amesoeurs. This has had the effect of helping to mature Neige’s songwriting and Écailles de Lune certainly showcases a certain maturity. It’s beautifully multi-layered, practically spewing thought-provoking and emotion-evoking power.
