Noctem - God Among Slaves (2007)
©Noise Head Records
Spain
Tracklist:
- Berserker of Destruction (4:52)
- The Kiss of Immortality (5:44)
- Yells in the Eternity - Chapter I: God Among Slaves (2:52)
- Yells in the Eternity - Chapter II: The Tongue of Hell (1:40)
- Yells in the Eternity - Chapter III: Elected by the Sacred Flame (1:15)
I've said it before, and I'll continue to say it until people finally take notice. Spain kicks ass. The climate rocks, the chicks are steaming hot, the language is sophisticated and elegant, and the Metal scene is brutal!
Presenting; Noctem.
I've never been possessed by a demon before, but I figure it would be similar to listening to the latest MCD of Spain's unholy quintet. The whole atmosphere encompassing "God Among Slaves" drips of brutality and darkness with uncompromising Death growls and Blackened shrieks of the night ripping apart your ears, and infernally, your soul. The two aforementioned vocal styles used on "God Among Slaves" compliment each other quite well. The growls themselves are deep and powerful without sounding studio-raped and the shrieks add a sound of familiar Black Metal desperation and pain without becoming an aural crap-factory in the likes of, say, early Kataklysm. And if it weren't enough to quench your thirst for evil; the addition of female choir vox really come in to play well to add melody and beauty to the raw feeling "God Among Slaves" exhibits.
Instrumentally, the album shines, with guitar riffs similar to that of early Naglfar, but with a small hint of Melodic Death to them. These two styles favor the above-mentioned vocal stylings in a way only Noctem can accomplish. The drums have a nice sound to them, and are well played throughout, but the volume on the bass drums could have been a little bit louder, for when all the band's energy is being pushed forth at once, they very quickly become drowned out in the chaos. Aside from that one minor flaw, "God Among Slaves" is a fury of Blackened Death Metal just ripping apart all which comes in its path.
It's my professional recommendation that you check Noctem out. Get the word out that Metal doesn't have to exist only in Sweden, Norway, and Finland to be great. "God Among Slaves" was one Hell of a ride, and I can't fucking wait to get my hands on their new full length album Divinity. If it's anything like this blasphemic MCD, then I can die happy.
-Jeremy
