I first began listening to Nokturnal Mortum about nine years ago and I can honestly say this group of Ukrainians has never, not even once left me disappointed with any single album they’ve released. From their early synth laden black metal masterpieces like, ‘Lunar Poetry’ or ‘Goat Horns,’ to their very strongly folk influenced previous album, ‘Weltanschauung,’ I’ve found absolutely everything from Nokturnal Mortum to be epic, majestic, well composed and absolutely relevant; truly solidifying this band as one of the most novel and breathtaking black metal bands ever.
On ‘Голос Сталі (The Voice of Steel)’ NM has defied all expectations and crafted what is truly their magnum opus and largely what I wouldn’t hesitate to call one of the finest black/folk metal releases ever. It’s almost unthinkable the level of epicness a song like ‘Голос Сталі’ reaches, the appearance of an awesome blues solo in ‘Валькирия’ or a totally 70’s sounding progressive rock solo in ‘Моєї Мрії Острови’ as well as the overall catchiness and breathtaking guitar work that graces ‘Україна.’
This just sheds a little bit of light on this record, to actually fully explain it is nearly impossible because there is just so much going on. Each and every song offers up so much; be it an astonishing synth melody, a marvelous guitar riff/solo, some form of catchiness, extraordinary heights of epicness or one of the amazing sounding folk instruments. There’s very little that’s dark or evil about this release, in fact I find the whole thing to be quite uplifting and it fuels me with vigor as I listen each and every time. I’ve blasted this release at ridiculous volumes while driving around, I’ve head banged like a mad man, I’ve had the hairs on the back of my neck stand up straight and I’ve absolutely, positively adored every last second of this album every time I’ve played it. Basically what I’m saying is; this is one for the ages, a true testament of greatness, a masterpiece, my new favorite album and surely one of the finest recordings those well tuned ears of yours will ever hear. I love this album.
Furthermore I must also point out that the album cover and the booklet is absolutely stunning thus making a truly great album all the more beautiful in its overall depth and importance. If you’ve heard any previous Nokturnal Mortum release I absolutely implore you to pick this one up or if you’re just curious about the black/folk metal genre then I can honestly say this is one of the finest entries ever in this field. Don’t miss this spectacular release!
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