To the Gates of Blasphemous Fire

Living up to a classic debut is not an easy thing for a band to do, especially when said debut is Goat Horns by Nokturnal Mortum, a legendary symphonic black metal album that is widely considered to be one of the best in the entire subgenre. Despite this pressure, Nokturnal Mortum ended up releasing their second full-length album To the Gates of Blasphemous Fire in under a year after the recording of Goat Horns and decided to go in a different direction rather than attempting to build off of said debut. To the Gates of Blasphemous Fire is a far more intense affair than Goat Horns and is comparable musically to the album the band would later follow it up with, NeChrist due to the inclusion of lightning fast drumming and riffage that was far more relentless than any of the material in the band’s back catalog.

As as the album begins, samples of swords clashing and men yelling immediately play for a few seconds before “Bestial Summoning” hits the listener with rapid fire blast beats and far darker synths than the band had ever used before this point. Unlike the riffs on Goat Horns , a lot riffs on To the Gates of Blasphemous Fire are not very melodic and are more rooted in traditional black metal. This song showcases this shift in songwriting right off the bat. As the song continues Knjaz Varggoth’s aggressive vocals come into the song as the lightning fast double bass and blast drumming continues for a whole six minutes without ever letting up. As the title track of the album comes on, the blast beats continue immediately, giving the listener no time to rest. Some of the riffs on this song are so intense that they wouldn't sound out of place on a death metal album. It is not until the third song, “On the Moonlight Path”, where the album’s formula really changes. This happens when the song transitions into one of the folk sections that the band has become known for. Immediately after this, there is some dark, yet melodic black metal riffing that is absolutely superb. Both of these sections perfectly showcase the band’s diverse songwriting capability. Throughout the album’s near 50 minute run time, the band continues to play in a similar style to this where the more intense riffing often goes on for a while before being broken by more melodic sections, some of which even implement spoken word and singing which was something that the band’s previous efforts also experimented with.

As one could probably guess by now, the musicianship on To the Gates of Blasphemous Fire is excellent across the board. At the time it was recorded, Nokturnal Mortum was made up of six members, and most famously, two keyboardists, who went by the pseudonyms Saturious and Sataroth which was not something that was very common at the time. Just like on Goat Horns both keyboardists are fully utilized the entire album, as they play excellent symphonic parts throughout its entire duration over the guitar riffs adding to the albums unique atmosphere. Like on all of Nokturnal Mortum’s releases up until Weltanschauung, the drumming on To the Gates of Blasphemous Fire is handled by drum god, Munruthel, who plays extremely fast blast beats and double bass the entire album. Knjaz Varggoth, as with all Nokturnal Mortum releases, provides superb vocals and riffing along with guitarist, Karpath, who would leave the band shortly after the release of the album. As with many black metal albums, the bass on To the Gates of Blasphemous Fire , preformed by Xaarquath, is almost completely inaudible. Production wise To the Gates of Blasphemous Fire sounds very good for a black metal release. The album has a raw sound, but all of the instruments excluding the bass are recorded very well and can be heard clearly on the entire album.

Despite the shift in style, Nokturnal Mortum once again deliver an excellent symphonic black metal album that is sadly overlooked by many in favor of borderline masterpiece albums such as The Voice of Steel and Lunar Poetry . If you're a fan of black metal, or more specifically bands such as Emperor and Limbonic Art, you owe it to yourself to give this album a shot.

Originally written for www.sputnikmusic.com under my alternate username.

Battle noise opens the second album of Nokturnal Mortum in complete alignment with the fantastic artwork. Only a few seconds later, a fanatic track rolls over the listener. The horde from the Ukraine is blessed with a tinge of Dimmu Borgir in its harshest form. But first and foremost, it is not afraid to show its "imperial" influences. Indeed, Emperor found followers all over the world with their first two albums and therefore it is anything else but sensational that some of them dwell in the somewhat outlying regions of East Europe. Anyway, "Bestial Summoning" (this is the opener on my copy, not the title track) has all that it needs to build a black metal cathedral. Desperate nagging is connected with an atmospheric yet insanely fast musical approach. Due to the slightly blurred mix, everything coalesces into each other. A gloomy break interrupts the inferno briefly, but it does not hurt the penetrating power of the track. Just the other way round, it emphasises its dynamic.

Nokturnal Mortum's breathtaking opener seems to catapult the formation at the top of the worldwide black metal scene, but the formation is not able to keep its quality level. This is not an accusation, just a determination. Anyway, songs like the following title track run in the same vein like the opener and give further examples of the band's devastating approach. They sound like the continuation of the battle which has introduced the album, only more intensive and more murderous than before. Okay, the integration of a short folkloric melody in "On the Moonlight Path" contributes a less lethal sequence, but it blends seamlessly with the remaining parts of the brutal track.

The group manages complexity in a successful way. No doubt, the fairly symphonic yet very harsh song patterns are nested and coherent at the same time. Both keyboards and guitars form fascinating, furious melodies and the band combines them cleverly. Admittedly, the pretty long songs need a little time to present all of their facets, but this is definitely not a disadvantage. One finds previously unrecognized details with every new round and this keeps the album alive. Nokturnal Mortum do not serve fast food metal and this is, despite my wretched eating habits, laudable. Furthermore, the music has this slightly morbid touch and borders on insanity. This marks always an indication for fervent black metal, at least in my humble opinion.

The band runs slightly out of breath at the end of the album, and this is more or less the only serious shortcoming. Neither the instrumental intermezzo on position seven, which provides a natural scenario with birds' twittering, nor the comparatively powerless closer are able to draw the listener into the song. Anyway, the title "To the Gates of Blasphemous Fire" does not make promises that its music cannot keep. Blasphemous and intensive, fiery and mighty - these are the keywords to describe this work (which does not suffer from anti-semitic lyrics. Quite the opposite, the first line of the title track delivers classic genre-poetry: "The day is going away and night covers the children of coldness and darkness..." - great!). Too bad that the band did not cultivate the here presented compositional approach. The more folk-inspired successor did not really match my musical "Weltanschauung".

The most astonishing thing about this record is the sheer amount of space that it seeks to embrace - or present, as it were, to the listener in its initial opening of musical atmosphere. While most atmospheric black metal bands are content with presenting an evocative space that will fill your mind with visions of enclosed areas - rooms, buildings, groups, crowds or specifically designated areas (usually nature scenes or spaces that are located in the midst of natural elements) - rivers, forests, deserts, mountain landscapes, etc. Nokturnal Mortum are one of the first bands I have heard whose music transcends the limits of such atmospheric locales in seeking to create a horizon effect of infinite evocation. Their music expands dynamically in the course of a listening to cover, define, and color entire vast regions of soundscapes or sound spaces.While listening to this album you are not reminded of specific eras of history or definite locales (and their corresponding visuals) as much as you are made to feel that you are witnessing events that are happening on a global scale. The sound is gigantic, varied, multi-layered, chaotic, and multi-textured, filling your head with the absorbed air of a dark realm that breeds, breathes, and lives (crying out in its agony) just beyond the range of your senses. It is not the direct presentation, again, of such an atmosphere, but rather a numbing succession of allusions to the fact of its existence. The result is catastrophic - this becomes the music of the infernal spheres, or rather the exhalation of a single blackened sphere that pulses with mystical powers of attraction.

The only other atmosphere I could compare this effect to would be the utter silence of the night in uninhabited areas: the combination of subtle nocturnal stirrings, the caress of the wind, the muted whispering of tree branches, the enormous stillness of isolation that is translated in your senses to a recognizable (yet never realized other than as an abstraction) intense feeling.

This group has six members (including two keyboard players) and they work together in a mutual search for the most elaborate and effective (emotionally, thematically) musical passages possible - never directly competing with each other when the greater good of the music (and the power of its evocative abilities) is called into question or at stake. While all the different elements of sound that make up their lengthy compositions are assembled and placed according to idiosyncratic methods of arrangement, you are almost immediately aware that everyone here is striving to create from the seething cauldron of musical creativity a unique sound that is not only clear and powerful in its impact but also a direct expression of their own convictions concerning the art of black metal.

Once past the atmospheric elements, and after stripping this band down to the core of guitars, bass, and drums, you find at its heart a lethal killing machine that grinds away at the center of the maelstrom - sucking in poisoned bodies, eviscerating them and gnawing at the bones, and then burning them in a grisly funeral pyre where the ash and smoke of cremation drift upwards to form the outer layers of their sound. Swift tornado blasts of insane riffage are swirled in the center before being spat out to circulate higher beneath the keyboard heavens. The bass stomps and lashes, smothering in its fanatic wolverine rumbling, the drums become the apocalyptic sound of a forest falling tree by tree, crashing down to bury themselves deep in the dark earth. The vocals are inhuman cries of lust, rage, and pain, echoing through the sky like swift trumpet blasts of thunder, and then screaming downwards to disappear over the edge of the world.

I have heard in a few circles that this band from Ukraine is now being hailed as the 'new Emperor', or as successors to the throne that the Norwegian band has decidedly left behind, and I don't think I can find that many ways to dispute such a claim. These musicians are on an original path of their own making, and are creating new territories for other bands (lesser bands, you must admit) to explore with each song on this album. I wish them the best, and I hope that they do not forsake this path in the near future: there is still so much to be investigated, so many realms to be summoned, and so many worlds to create.

UA

Erebus Magazine
http://erebuszine.blogspot.com

I think I know what happened here: Nokturnal Mortum put out 'Goat Horns' and got a little bit sensitive to criticism over how intensely melodic and neoclassical it was, so they decided they needed to get tougher to pacify the traditional black metal crowd. This is the result: an album where Nokturnal Mortum is trying to be more savage and black metal than they really have to be, and while it's a somewhat refreshing change from 'Goat Horns', it's also weaker than that release and is cursed with a more limited range of motion than the material on the first LP. 'To The Gates Of Blasphemous Fire' is a good release, but it's certainly inferior to 'Goat Horns' due to its restrictive musical nature and, for lack of a better term, proliferation of fairly boring blast/tremolo sections that seem to be only there to confirm that this is indeed a black metal band. Still, it's infinitely better than the follow-up album, and certainly more than a decent listen in its own right.

This is essentially 'Goat Horns' by way of Dark Funeral; all the elements of the previous album are present but in this case with an extra does of blasting, tremolo riffing, and 'blackness' in general. The symphonic keyboards are still certainly present, but they're toned down a bit in their power over the music, and the melodies are less beautiful and entrancing and more haughty and arrogantly neoclassical. This is the sound of Nokturnal Mortum as a typical symphonic black metal band, I suppose; it's not bad, but the reduction of some of their more unique elements really does weaken the overall quality of the album. On the other hand, if you view it on its own terms rather than in relation to 'Goat Horns', you'd probably be more pleased: it's certainly a riffier album than before, and the guitars have a much larger part in the overall compositions. For those who wanted 'Goat Horns' to be a bit more fundamentally black metal in nature, this should certainly please.

'Goat Horns' was sort of power metal influenced in some ways: the guitars didn't really have a lot of riffs per se and were more used to harmonize with the keyboard's root notes than to really do much on their own. This changes completely here: the keyboards are further back in the production and the guitars are more independent and riff-heavy than before. Generally, those riffs are pretty good; I generally prefer the melodic sense that the band had on 'Goat Horns' but this is certainly still a cut above, and the more balanced production lends itself to the establishment of the guitars as a primary instrumental force. The drumming, unfortunately, has been scaled back a bit in its subtlety and variety, now content mostly to blast and double bass everywhere and hope no one notices. Vocals are the same as before: a Slavic black metal goblin-snarl that brings a pubescent Gollum to mind; they perform the job adequately though don't really bring much to the proverbial table.

All of these elements are well and good, but the fact is that whenever the keyboards aren't doing the intricate sort of thing they did on the previous album, the music gets boring. The riffs are good but not good enough to carry the music on their own, and the simplified and blackened keyboard melodies aren't as good at holding the listener's attention as they were before. This results in stretches of blasting and tremolo riffing that tend not to go anywhere in the rather overtly narrative song structures of Nokturnal Mortum's music. Most of the songs handle themselves pretty well, but there's isolated moments when the guitars try to take the lead and the band ends up standing still for all the good it does; Nokturnal Mortum should just stick with the keyboards as a driving force and leave the riffs to the riffing bands. Another rather bleak note: the awful folk sections of 'NeChrist' make their first appearance on this album. They're infrequent enough to ignore, but they're a horrific reminder of where this band ended up going soon after this album.

'To The Gates Of Blasphemous Fire' is a solid and enjoyable album, as well as Nokturnal Mortum's last good one. It's inferior to 'Goat Horns' in many ways, and I do think that if you can only get one Nokturnal Mortum album it should be their first, but if you have a little more cash in your wallet, there's certainly no harm in picking this one up to. It's more than enjoyable enough to warrant investigation from symphonic black metal fans, and stands as a solid album all on its own even minus the name recognition. Just be sure not to buy anything after this.

Whenever Nokturnal Mortum is discussed, people will always say their favorite album is anything but "To the Gates of Blasphemous Fire" in most cases. This doesn't imply the album is bad or even the weakest, it just means that it's often overlooked. A shame, too, because "To the Gates of Blasphemous Fire" is an excellent album, and a reason why older Nokturnal Mortum was so great.

"To the Gates of Blasphemous Fire" was my first taste of Nokturnal Mortum and my first purchase from them. At the time they seemed like a generic, but decent Emperor worship band, but as time grew on I learned to really appreciate their work, especially their older material. "To the Gates of Blasphemous Fire" (now "Gates") for the rest of the review, might be my favorite release by Nokturnal Mortum. Although many won't agree with me, I think it may also be their best and an excellent introduction for those who are interested in this band.

Compared to releases like "Goat Horns", "Lunar Poetry", and "NeChrist", "Gates" is certainly their blackest release in a traditional sense. It's not too overproduced and over the top like "NeChrist". Instead the production is more along the lines of older Immortal, Satyricon, and Emperor. "Gates" is also a bit heavier, faster, and more blasphemic sounding than "Lunar Poetry". Unlike "Goat Horns" there's a much larger emphasis on the guitars, but they are pretty evened out with the keyboards/synthesizers. In terms of the themes, "Gates" is just about as anti-Chrisitan as the other Nokturnal Mortum releases, but this album in particular takes a different perspective as opposed to a more paganistic point of view. In other words, "Goat Horns" and "Lunar Poetry" would sound like pretty harmless pagan-folk metal releases although with "Gates", there's a more darker, sinister, evil feel in the music that you can find nowhere else in Nokturnal Mortum's discography.

"Gates" may feel a little wishy-washy at first in terms of production, but that just means you have to listen a little harder to everything. Once you get past that point, you'll see the production isn't actually that bad and it may improve your appreciation of the album. Vocals can be the hardest to hear at times but it's really not that bad compared a ton of other bands. Headphones are definitely, recommended, though. This album is fairly light and agile sounding, but has enough to meat to keep the listener interested. You certainly won't get a headache listening to this.

One thing to note is that this was one of the first Nokturnal Mortum releases where you could actually find lyrics to the songs. To this day I haven't come across the lyrics for "Lunar Poetry" and "Goat Horns." Most of the songs on "Gates" are in English except for "Under The Banners Of The Horned Knjaz" in either Russian or Ukrainian. When listening to the tracks, you get a gray, medieval feeling to the atmosphere, or some see it as colorless with a stormy feel to it. I originally thought this album was more on the Satanic side of anti-Christianity due to the artwork and some of the lyrics, but listening to the album after all these years highlights the pagan folk influences even more.

None of the tracks are short - they all fall around the 5-6 minute mark save for a few longer tracks. There's tons of variety in each song but unless you hear the album a few times you'll feel that there may be a bit of repetition. But this is far from the truth. The mood of the songs ranges from triumphant, victorious, glorifying ("13th Asbath Celebration", "Forgotten Ages of Victories", "Hands of Chaos") to barbaric and barbaric ("Bestial Summoning" and the title track). Adding in the keyboards, you get a sound that would remind you of 1999-2001 era Lucifugum, but in their own style. There's also a nice instrumental towards the end "Cheremosh" to serve as a relaxing piece. Although I think Nokturnal Mortum has made better instrumentals in the past and recently, this particular track still servers its purpose well.

Some of the tracks are very catchy. My personal favorite, "On the Moonlight Path", and also quite possibly one of Nokturnal Mortum's best song, is an example of how catchy they can be. The song starts out with a deep, cold feeling synth and then builds up into a blackened, adrenaline rushing piece that is very ear pleasing. The vocals in particular flow so well as the song continues to build up and you hear the thundering drums and intense riffs in the background complemented by the agressive synth work. Before halfway in the song, the folk influences start to come in. These parts are very well done and give the song much more character. Memorable synths and riffs will keep you coming back for more.

There are few weaknesses on this album. Once you get past the washy, stormy production, then you're golden. Some may argue the song writing is a little too rushed and lacks meat, but I strongly disagree, especially after a few listens. Oh, and the first 20 seconds on the album are very, very generic (the sounds of people fighting in a medieval setting - that wasn't been done before >_> ) but that's no big deal. I was a tiny bit skeptical of this album upon hearing it, but soon enough I learned that "Gates" is a fun, easy to listen to album, that is plenty memorable. It's much better than their newer, more political driven work at the very least.

Highlights: "On the Moonlight Path", "To the Gates of Blasphemous Fires", "The 13th Asbath Celebration"

First off this is my first review and also my first experience with Nokturnal Mortum.

"To the gates of blasphemous fire" strikes me as " Anthems" era emperor worship with an emphasis on keyboards and less focus on guitars. This comparison I feel is justified as they use a very similar formulaic approach to their songwriting, that is to say fast blasting songs with the rhythm guitars laying foundation for the keyboards which give the epic wall of noise sound found in anthems

The production is somewhat dire in the fact that nothing really stands out at all bar the drums and a lot of instruments seem to bleed into each other if you will. They keyboards drain most of the melody from the guitars and what ever was left is overshadowed by the vocals.

This album also suffers from the first half just sounding flat and lifeless with no good riffs or memorable passage at all , almost seems as if the first half of the album is just one track. things pick up at " the 13th asbath celebration" which is easily the best song on the album. Unfortunately the follow up track "cheremosh" is a totally out of place folky piece that would sound far more appropriate in a rpg game. After this travesty things pick up and stay consistent till the end but 4 good songs isn't enough to justify buying this especially seen as one of the tracks is a slayer cover (south of heaven) I awarded most of the score purely for "the 13th asbath celebration" if the whole album was that good it would surely be a landmark for the black metal scene unfortunately it just sounds half assed.

Nokturnal Mortum has always amazed me with their music. This album, however, was a disappointment. The overall album is decent, at best, but the shape and form of the music is just pointless and cliche. The extremely redundant intro at the beginning of "Bestial Summoning" was the worst intro I've heard since Dimmu Borgir.

The vocals are rarely heard, much less understood. The constant hammering of the bass drum and the annoying sounds of the pianos drown out everything. It is obvious that someone didn't master the tape well enough to hear the vocals. Though it can be argued that the vocals aren't what's important in black metal, I believe that they should still be loud enough for people to tell that they exist.

The drumming is pretty much the only instrument that manages to stay within the shape of the songs. Although, they aren't the usual hammering on the rim or the crashing of the cymbol. These drums are more of the hard hammering of the bass drum. This is a lot more effective than the usual blastbeats we hear today. They add more rythem to the music, and they make it better to follow along with.

There is one song in this album that is totally flawless. That song is called "On the Moonlight Path". This song manages to shape everything in correctly. This song alone makes this album worth buying. The guitar riffs aren't exactly talented, but they fit in better than power chords. Keyboards fit the chords and notes in perfectly. The vocals are still barely heard, but they are effective.

This is a decent album overall. If you're a huge fan of Nokturnal Mortum, then you will enjoy this album. However, if you are a newbie to the band, then start off on something else. This album may change your mind from the band, eventhough they are an excellent band.

To The Gates of Blasphemous Fire is less folky, faster-paced, and more aggressive than their previous release, Goat Horns. Some people describe it as Emperor's reknown Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk done right, and I think this comparison holds water. There are a few differences between the two, though, which help to describe the band's sound:

- The guitars here are kept more to the background than in Anthems. Subsequently, the drumming plays a larger role.
- The vocals are faster and more pronounced, giving the album a more aggressive sound than Anthems.
- The production is slightly poorer, giving the music a more uniform sound and forcing the listener to really focus to hear its finer points. (Personally, I think the level of production is exactly what the album's overall atmosphere called for.)

Like in Anthems, background violin playing is often put to good use. To The Gates of Blasphemous Fire is top-notch, fast-paced black metal with depth, complexity, and an epic quality to it. My score would have been higher had the album contained a bit more variety.

Song highlights: Under the Banners of the Horned Knjaz, The 13th Asbath Celebration, Cheremosh, The Forgotten Ages of Victories (the last four tracks of the album, oddly enough)