### Nachtmystium: Silencing machine

#### 15/11/12 || BamaHammer

When you speak of the state of the American black metal scene, it’s pretty likely, hell, I’d even say unavoidable that the name Nachtmystium will be brought up. For whatever reason, this is a band that just can’t seem to get over the hump with black metal enthusiasts all over the globe. Part of the reason may lie in the fact that they seem to have changed their shtick with every release, dabbling in atmospherics or “black ‘n’ roll” (whatever the fuck that is) or pure black metal or whatever else tickles their fanciful ballsacks at the time of writing. Either way, I believe a fairly compelling case could be made that “Silencing Machine” could possibly be the band’s most solid effort to date.

I was never really tempted to explore American black metal offerings very deeply. Obviously, like the rest of the planet, I found more quality in the European school of black metal than the American counterparts could ever hope to produce. Granted, America has Krieg, Absu, Leviathan, Judas Iscariot, and maybe five other bands I’d ever give half a fuck about, but there was something about Nachmystium that always caused them to be simply overlooked for me.

Recently I decided to delve into the band’s full catalog of their blackened shit, and I can tell you that undoubtedly (for me, anyway) this album sounds like their best effort so far. It all starts with the general sound of this record, which is actually a noticeable improvement from the band’s previous albums. While Nachtmystium’s past efforts were probably overly muddled and bassy, this one seems to add a little clarity to the mix that was needed just by cranking that nutsy midrange.

It’s a classic black metal production that instantly renders the music dark and evil and all those typical nekro adjectives. If the EQ on this album was a WWE-style Triple Threat match between bass, midrange, and treble, it sounds like midrange took a folding chair to treble, leaped from the top rope to take out bass and pinned them both as Jim Ross yelled “My god!” in a glorious muffled tone. The moral of the story: don’t fuck with midrange. It’s the key to a good dark, muddy, raw black metal sound.

When you get right down to it, the songwriting on here is actually a blend of pretty generic and fairly repetitious tremolo-picked riffs that just reek of black metal. Even the opening riffs from the first two tracks, “Dawn over the ruins of Jerusalem” and “Silencing machine”, have more than a few similarities that are sure to raise eyebrows and entice a smirk when you hear the intros back to back. However monotonous and traditional the riffing may sound, the song structures themselves more than make up for it much like middle-era Darkthrone. Songs meander between ideas and warble and entrance in a way that captivates you as the listener and leaves you feeling just queasy and uneasy enough to keep listening.

The vocals also add a cool element of “dark, depressive despair” to the album. I could give a fuck what the lyrics are about, but the delivery by Blake Judd (who needs a grim nickname very badly) is pretty stellar. He sounds truly tortured and evil, and the result really doesn’t sound like typical “American” black metal, so added points there.

As for some of the things you won’t find on this album, don’t look for overly tasty or interesting drum parts. They could’ve just used a drum machine instead of using the services of Charlie Fell here. Sure it’s competent, but it won’t be anything you’ll notice. Maybe that’s a good thing for you though. You will however get a slab of very good, but not great, quality black metal from the left side of the Atlantic for once. It’s complete with a good production, good atmosphere, and no real filler to speak of. If you dig good black metal, you should give this record a chance.

- Information
- Released: 2012
- Label: Century Media
- Website: Nachtmystium MySpace
- Band
- Blake Judd: guitars, vocals
- Aamonael: guitars
- Will Lindsey: bass
- Sanford Parker: keyboards
- Charlie Fell: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Dawn Over the Ruins of Jerusalem
- 02. Silencing Machine
- 03. And I Control You
- 04. The Lepers of Destitution
- 05. Borrowed Hope and Broken Dreams
- 06. I Wait in Hell
- 07. Decimation, Annihilation
- 08. Reduced to Ashes
- 09. Give Me the Grave
- 10. These Rooms in Which We Weep