Nyktalgia

The project I'm gonna deal with now is one of my personal favorites. Germany's Nyktalgia, with two members working on a parallel project Sterbend, released very few material during their whole existence (two studio albums under this moniker, one as Sterbend), but such material is so appreciated by the niche community that, honestly, I don't remember any criticism or negative reviews directed at them (excluding one for this album on this page), which is something of an accomplishment even in a genre as divisive and full of subjectivity like black metal. According to sources, two members are still active with lesser project (the most recent being Crypts), but none of them ever got the recognition this one ever gathered in such a short timespan.

The two albums released by Nyktalgia are pretty hard to describe, because most of their fascination lies in the details. Take this self-titled 2004 debut, for example. Opener Misere Nobis kicks things off with slow, decadent arpeggios that give way to droning A tremolos that acquire special meaning thanks to the quartal chord voicings and more melodic stanzas with a riff more reminiscent of later Austere. Sections are repeated, often more than 8 times each, alternated each other, and when slamming blast-beats come around the sixth minute, there's not an ounce of increased energy, but even the contrary, due to the way the riffs change and return to the original droning harmonies.

The mood goes even lower with Lamento Larmoyant, which introduces D tuning, tempo changes and even slower 3/4 sections with desolate open-chord arpeggios, while Cold Void uses similar droning harmonies, but starts with a sudden blast-beat for pure, violent assault. while maintaining minimal arrangements. Closing cut Exitus Letalis is based on alternation of dramatic slower fills and crushing arpeggios over obsessive, mutli-tracked cathartic throat shrieking. Production is clear and un-conventional, but also somehow inconstant, as the vocals sound much more intelligibile in the third track than anywhere else, tuning of the bass/clean guitar is off in the final track, and the drumming, while sound tribal and non-programmed, lacks fills and doesn't always fits rightly in all sections.

This album is inferior to Peisithanatos because it features more compositional ingenuity, features less arresting hooks and sounds less dynamic for a tentative funereal effect, but I consider it as great as its follower. It's an album whose simplicity is its best quality, and embraces the listener more than irritating it (though the abrasive vocals may be an acquired taste). As much as it sounds clichéd (the ghosts of Abyssic Hate, early Ulver and even My Dying Bride are impossible to deny), it hasn't aged at all, and stands as one of the pinnacles of the depressive black metal niche, despite being no masterpiece due to the cons cited above.

Nyktalgia was a short-lived black metal band from Germany that only released two albums throughout its seven-year lifespan, yet its influence in German black metal and especially DSBM has remained everlasting. The self-titled debut in particular easily remains the stronger record of the two for me personally. Not that Peisithanatos is terrible or anything, but there's something about the debut that feels so depressing...

The album takes major influences from Burzum, as seen in the first track "Misere Nobis". The guitars are very raw and deep-tuned, and it plays a nice mix of fast and chaotic riffs and slower, more sorrowful riffs. The drumming is a bit standard, but its repetitive nature serves the vast and mysterious atmosphere well. The bass is also surprisingly audible, and its deep bass play is decent at setting the foundation of the track. While it follows the Burzum formula fine, it does lean more towards the depressive and atmospheric elements of it, especially around the 4:20 mark where the riffs play a slow, agonizing tune that feels like something straight out of Hvis lyset tar oss. The rest of the three tracks are just as good, but "Cold Void" in particular is another stand-alone track that feels exceptional. Despite only lasting for 7 minutes, it packs both hard-hitting riffs and depressive atmospheres in a nice blend that feels genuine and fully eclipses you in its dark, cold world. All in all, the instrumentals are fantastic at exploring more of the depressive areas of Burzum, and there's very little filler moments on here.

As for the vocals, they're extremely soul crushing. Skjeld does the vocals on here, and definitely leans more towards the early albums in terms of vocal delivery. His vocals mainly consist of high-pitched shrieks that sound agonized and painful, almost as if he's going insane. They might be off-putting at first, but once you get used to them, they're basically just as essential as the instruments. Nowhere is this more the case than in the last track "Exitus Letalis", which already is an emotional masterpiece with its melancholic riffs. In the middle of the track, things slow down as Skjeld proceeds to go feral and shriek his head off. His shrieks in this part are heartbreaking, and you can't help but feel empathy with his pain. They also flow very well to the droning, atmospheric riffs, as they only further emphasize the torturous atmosphere of the track. The vocals are very chilling on this record, and only serve to further the depressive tone.

Even the lyrics bring no joy at all. The main lyrical themes on here deal with depression and suicide, and they're written extremely well. Take the lyrics to "Cold Void" for example, where this verse quotes:

The courage I've lost long ago - for I'll never feel happiness anew.
In emotions of solitude, the non-presence is my home. My grave.
When the pulse no longer throbs and the last drop of life left my veins,
I become forever paralysed, by this ultimate. Cold Void

The overall tone of this verse is very lonesome and miserable, which not only is fitting to the feeling of wanting to die, but also further emphasizes the pain the protagonist is going through. There's also a bit of a surreal feeling within these stories, as in songs like "Lamento Larmoyant", there's mentions of their soul feeling crushed, which gives off a more spiritual feeling of anguished that not a lot of depressive black metal bands touch on. Not to mention that these lyrics fit perfectly to the instruments and vocals, as they further enhance the pain in the stories and push the boundaries of the depression. The lyrics to these songs are terrifying, and definitely not for the faint of heart.

As a matter of fact, this entire album is not for the faint of heart at all. Depressive black metal bands that take their influences from Burzum have been around, but not many bands go this far as Nyktalgia does in their debut. With a bigger emphasis on atmosphere, plus the agonized shrieks and the somber stories, and needless to say, it take a strong soul to get through this record in one piece. If you're looking for some fantastic atmospheric/depressive Burzum-worship, then you gotta give this record a spin.

Germany's DSBM (depressive suicidal black metal) scene has always been full of some of the best bands in the genre. Anti, Sterbend, Wigrid, ColdWorld, and Wedard... Really, the list can go on and on, but along with Nyktalgia, these six bands are pretty much the frontrunners of German DSBM. Like a lot of the other DSBM bands, Nyktalgia seems to take their main influence from the works of Burzum, specifically the "Hvis Lyset Tar Oss" and "Filosofem" albums, with a key emphasis on the former. The music incorporates this sense of minimalism to create droning, long songs of simplicity and lace them with gorgeous melodies that sound quite sad and depressing. Most casual metal fans, hell, even casual black metal fans can be easily turned off by this style of music because it is not easy to digest. And it's not meant to be. Nyktalgia recorded and released two full-length albums: this self-titled debut released in 2004 and "Peisithanatos" released in 2008. This band was only active from 2001 to 2008 but with these two albums, they surely made a permanent mark on the black metal scene, with this one being their finest hour.

The production experienced with this album is raw and buzzy but not to the point where anything is unlistenable. Actually, as far as DSBM goes, this album boasts one of the genre's better production values. All of the instruments are mixed nearly perfectly and thus, nothing sounds out of place or awkward. Sure, the bass could be SLIGHTLY louder, but that's usually an unfair point to make because the bass isn't supposed to be all that audible in DSBM most of the time. The guitars are really where Nyktalgia shine. There are no keyboards to be heard on this album and this is a bit of an anomaly because most bands in this genre thrive on key melodies. Not Nyktalgia. This is a key difference between Burzum and these Germans. The buzzing drone of the atmospheric guitars live on their own, with the bass and drums following suit. The music here is depressing but mix this with a somewhat upbeat style of black metal. This mostly has to do with the blast sections. "Misere Nobis" begins very slow and dirgy shortly ends up going almost full speed with double bass drumming and a faster guitar riff. The fastest song on this album is no doubt "Cold Void" which also takes its place as the shortest track, running a total time of 7 and a half minutes. Interestingly enough, this contrasts with its almost polar opposite brother "Lamento Larmoyant", which is probably the slowest overall song here. It is placed right before "Cold Void", so its as if The most effective song on the album is probably its closer "Exitus Letalis". It's almost like an acid trip, really. The vocals are at their peak here, though it's the end of the album.

It's unfortunate that Nyktalgia was such a short lived project because while the two albums they created are amazing pieces of black metal, especially this one, it almost feels as if the German black metal scene was cheated out of what could have been a few more amazing records. Regardless, this remains to be essential listening for any fans of the genre. Some of the best vocals in black metal are featured here and they build upon what Burzum was doing in the early 90s, as well as some of the most emotionally-driven sounding music in the world of extreme metal.

It has been an established for a long time, the fact that Nyktalgia is a pioneering band in the sub-genre of depressive or suicidal black metal. Long droning riffs, reminiscent of so many hateful and wistful memories, agonizing shrieks akin to a wolf's howl of distress and Burzum-esque, pounding drums hell-bent on crushing your soul and dreams, and minimal yet omnipresent bass following the guitar's path. That's a perfect way to describe in short this effort.

Unfortunately, this German horde did not live long enough to put out more material in order to indulge us in the darkest corners of their thoughts, thus leaving us with two full-length masterpieces in order to delve into depression's wasteland. The most overt fact in this album is the band's attempt in taking the listener on an emotional roller coaster. One moment a fast, mesmerizing riff, and one moment you're listening to some slower-tempo black metal evoking the most miserable feelings you have stored within you.

After listening to this album, the listener remains convoluted in a deep tangle of different ideas, spawned by the masterful manipulation of the atmosphere which the band members create with their winding music. The lyrics on this album really make you think too. After going through them, you're left all alone trying to figure out the whole point in living, unless their lyrics already manage to drag you down the deepest misanthropic, nihilistic depths that exist. The arbitrary nature of humanity, the ineptitude of humans to truly understand each other, the universe's randomness, all these abstract thoughts are all touched upon in this hunk of solid work.

The songs on this album are long. Damned long. The length is specifically tailored as far as I could deduce, to the time the listener requires to truly digest the emotions and feelings the musicians are trying to linger through their heads and hearts. The tormented screams on "Cold Void" and "Misere Nobis" do an amazing job in creating an overall atmosphere of beating solitude and apathy. If you don't feel like screaming your mind out of pure, sheer misery after listening to this album, then this is not really your piece of cake.

The production on this album is extremely good. Not in the sense of Dimmu Borgir sterile, but in the mid-era Darkthrone kind of good. Every instrument has its own compartment in the music, except for the bass, because for example, it can't be heard that quite well on "Lamento Larmoyant". I suggest that if you're into the faster, yet emotional side of depressive black metal, and are tired of the countless mimics that are constantly emerging, then this album is definitely for you.

This album offends me on a number of levels. First and foremost, Nyktalgia’s self-titled debut LP is a glaring example of a soulless copying of a bygone aesthetic. The clock stopped somewhere back in 1996 Norway for Nyktalgia. Beyond the obvious degree to which this album is contrived, in its few moments of seemingly honest expression, Nyktalgia still sound like countless other bands⎯a shapeless, morphing, corpsepainted clone. That is, when they’re not outright copying early Burzum material.

The Burzum mimicry is most obvious in Skjeld’s vocal approach and the post-production treatment of his vocals. Beyond this, elements of Burzum’s music aside from Varg’s recognizable vocals are apparent throughout the album. Even production elements of early Burzum recordings are implemented here⎯to startlingly offensive effect. At times the album even evokes early Ulver⎯particularly the faster, more “black metal” sections of the LP. On each track, Nyktalgia sound like more bands still, whose identities I’ll spare the embarrassment of association.

When the band attempts musical variety, Nyktalgia occasionally slow down to dirge-paced, forgettable black metal wankery. The melodies momentarily evoke a sense of tunefulness, though most songs are simply mid-paced, run-of-the-mill black metal. The only “contribution” to the album that is not entirely derivative is that of the rhythm section. That being said, the bass playing is particularly juvenile⎯no style or variance in melody⎯and the drums⎯completely forgettable.

Songs “Misere Nobis” and “Lamento Larmoyant” are particular tests of patience. All songs on the album, even the sometimes satisfactory album closer, “Exitus Letalis,” are overlong. Riffs with easily digestible melodies are repeated again and again on Nyktalgia. In fact, whole sections of songs repeat to the point of evoking boredom, and even still refrain.

Black metal is about freedom, self-expression, pushing the boundaries of human spiritual and physical capability… Nyktalgia express no such quality. Even the album cover is laughable. I get it: this album is going to deal with themes of suicide. Big deal. Whiny self-absorbed lyrics especially don’t help the already contrived music on display. The only points I give to the album are for the moderately interesting moments of “Exitus Letalis” (the guitar lead during the faster sections of the song is kinda cool). However, the fact that the song eventually ends, thus signalling the end of the LP, is a relief. This is poseur fakery of the highest magnitude, and the makers of this music should pursue other means of embarrassing themselves.

Depressive/suicidal black metal (DSBM) was certainly nothing new in 2004 when Nyktalgia released their debut album, but I'd consider Nyktalgia to be groundbreaking nonetheless. Everything present here has been done before in some form or fashion, but never in quite this combination, and never with such overwhelming success. DSBM is notorious for being very repetitive and with very annoying vocals; I myself cannot disagree that this is often the case. In fact, the album in question is quite repetitive, and some might find the vocals very annoying; but I don't, and I would say that the repetition merely adds to my enjoyment of the music here.

The main thing that puts this album above most of its competitors is that it's energetic and flows well. Many DSBM albums are just loops of a slow, dull melody with no real attempt at a quality transition. Nyktalgia is so much more than that; the riffs are powerful and evocative, even catchy at times, and there's enough variation in them that even with song lengths averaging over ten minutes, the songs never get boring. There also aren't any bullshit spoken word passages or whiny attempts at screams during which the instruments stop playing, like in some other albums I've heard; everything's going at full blast all the time. That doesn't mean that it's fast-paced all the time, but all the energy and passion in the music is constant.

Vocalist Skjeld is a pleasure to listen to above such despondent yet manic riffs. His tortured, primal shrieks complement the atmosphere perfectly, sounding as if he's in such utter and total agony that you can't help but be sucked in by it. As a friend of mine once said, "It sounds like he's on fire." That's not too far from the truth, really; perhaps not a physical fire, but certainly a mental and emotional one that's tearing him apart from the inside. Having felt like this myself many times, his voice actually has a calming effect for me, although for many it might produce a much different reaction. The songs are also varied enough from each other to keep things interesting; while the mood tends to remain pretty consistent, the pacing is pretty varied; the first song is midpaced, the second slower, the third and fourth faster.

Highlights include the entire first song and the intro of the last song (dat bass!). But really, if you've been looking for something that accurately and excellently portrays agony, hopelessness, etc., look no further. This is a masterpiece of the DSBM genre; a cohesive, flowing, passionate work with top-notch songwriting and musicianship, as well as an excellent production that's clear enough to distinguish but raw enough to be powerful. If you're a fan of depressing music, black metal, or DSBM, definitely grab this album, you won't be disappointed.

The genre of depressive suicidal black metal is an interesting one. Most of the bands in this genre come off as cheap, uninspired, and talentless, but there are many who buck these unfortunate trends and aspire to create beautiful pieces of music. Nyktalgia is one of those bands. This self-titled album is a melancholic gem that is among the best that the DSBM scene has churned out. Taking the framework that early Burzum created and making it sadder, darker, and more emotional, Nyktalgia took their place as the heavyweights of the DSBM genre with this album.

"Misere Nobis" starts off at a plodding tempo, and alternates between slow and fast for the rest of the song. The guitar tone on this album is thick and misty, and the emotive, mournful riffs displayed here are among the best in the genre. Skjeld's vocals are harsh, pained and piercing, cutting through the musical backdrop with great intensity. "Lamento Larmoyant" is a more subdued song which takes the melancholy to new heights, even instilling a sense of apathy in the listener at times. The last riff in the song is absolutely dismal in the best possible way. If you make it this far without feeling depressed, or at least brought down, then you've got a very hard heart.

"Cold Void" is the fastest song on the album. It spends much of its time blasting and the vocals are more subdued, but the sad, rainy atmosphere is still present in spades, especially during the main riff of the song. This piece of depressive art concludes with "Exitus Letalis". This is the best song on the album, and one of the best DSBM songs ever. The riffs in this song absolutely drip with sadness and emotion. About halfway through, Skjeld takes his vocals to a whole new level, nearly reaching Silencer levels of insanity. The depressive ambiance gets thicker and thicker, until the song reaches its blissful climax.

This is an amazing piece of art in the realm of depressive black metal, and in black metal as a whole. Atmospheric, moving, depressing and contemplative, Nyktalgia broke new ground with this album. This is an absolutely adorable release that all black metal fans should listen to.

Nyktalgia’s self-titled album is a four song full-length that has a dreary and thick atmosphere. Nyktalgia manages to put a lot of emotions into their songs, mostly of depressing suicidal feelings. The lyrics match this well and are exceedingly dark and mysterious. Nyktalgia does have some skillful compositions on this album and it shows through immediately. They are also able to craft some catchy riffs as well that really capture your imagination. Skjeld genuinely sounds pained and troubled throughout the whole album portraying the lyrics with great accuracy.

A positive aspect of this album is Nyktalgia’s constant tempo shifts throughout each song giving each song a good amount of variety. This is important since the songs are relatively long, not surprising since there are only four songs. None of the songs feel long or drawn out, as each of them have multiple sections but all fit well within themselves. There does appear to be one repeating tremolo riff in each of the four songs and it is also the most melodic and catchy.

I was particularly impressed by the amount of atmosphere that Nyktalgia were able to conjure up out of just a guitar, bass and drums. A lot of symphonic bands can’t even do this as well as Nyktalgia are able to do with just three instruments. The guitar riffing tends to fill most of that atmosphere up with multiple riffs through each song. The riffing changes quickly, but usually in unison with their many tempo changes. They are usually playing at either a faster pace or a more doom style pace.

The drumming on Nyktalgia is actually quite minimal. Winterheart is certainly not technical on this album, only infrequently using fills and rolls. The beats are mostly straight forward slower grooves or 16th notes with minimal variation. There is an occasional blast beat in the faster portions of the songs. Winterheart does incorporate a few unique cymbal techniques into the songs, particularly in the third and fourth song, by holding a beat on the bell of a cymbal. I haven’t noticed that too often in black metal drumming.

As far as each song, I actually found Misere Nobis to have the catchiest and most melodic riff on the album, which is repeated throughout the 11 minute duration. This particular riff is the most memorable on the album for me. Lamento Larmoyant starts out slower paced with simple drumming and a depressing cold riff that is used throughout the song as a sort of refrain. This song is generally slow throughout and the lyrics are extremely depressing, which Skjeld manages to portray with great despair and gloom. Cold Void is by far the fastest song on the album and also the most aggressive with fast tremolo riffing. The drumming on Cold Void is a little more involved with some interesting cymbal work. Exitus Letalis features Skjeld’s most painful and devastating shrieks that pierce through the other instruments. He really sounds like he is in genuine agony and it plays so well with the overall atmosphere of the song. The guitars are over layered multiple times giving the song a very heavy and crushing presence. What a beautifully depressing conclusion to a fantastic dark atmospheric album.

Despite repeated listens to this album and it being generally minimalistic, I still don’t fully understand everything that is going on. I think that this is a good measure of an album. If one can listen multiple times to an album and still find new aspects I believe that you have something special. Nyktalgia does exactly that for me and for that I love it.

I remember well that I heard the sample on the No Colours site when this album was released. It was an excerpt from the last song Exitus Letalis. It was one of the best things I ever heard, and that says a lot. I couldn’t imagine the entire could be as good as this. Well, you probably predicted it when you saw the rating, it is! So here is a review on the debut album from this three-piece depressive black metal band Nyktalgia.

First a small description on the band. We can clearly hear that we are dealing with some skilled musicians (for black metal standards that is). First of all the guitarist/bassist/songwriter did a very good on this album. Nothing technical about his playing but his riffs and song structures are absolutely amazing. This is not the standard and mediocre ‘depressive black metal’ or Burzum cloning, which we see/hear too much nowadays. All his riffs are very original and really sound great together, like I said before, no forced song structures to be found on this album. The great thing is that these songs are not played over a horrible drum computer or sloppy drumming! On the contrary, the drummer is pretty good and his style fits the album perfectly. He has some very great ideas, especially on the first and third song. But they never distract the listener from the riffs. Last, but definitely not least, the vocals. Skjeld does a terribly good job in producing the most agonizing vocals I have ever heard (Burzum and Silencer come pretty close though). They are done in the old familiar Burzum style but are so intense that this is really something special.

Most of the time I try to avoid song by song reviews, but since this album only has 4 long songs it hard to get around this without forgetting important things.

The album kicks in with the song Misere Nobis. This is a nice combination between slower and more up-tempo parts. The overall structure of this song is very good and despite its length, it doesn’t bore me one second. Still this is my least favourite track on the album, both musically and lyrically. This is mainly because the other tracks are even better; this is by no means a disappointing track though.

The following song is called Lamento Larmonant and is the slowest song on the album. It begins with a riff that sounds very similar to Weltmacht’s “Chained beasts are strewn”. This is a followed by a very monotone (in a good way) riff. The great thing is the drummer comes up with a more inventive part than just the basic rhythm. This song is quite repetitive but has a great cold and isolated atmosphere. Great song, also be sure to check out the lyrics that give this song so much more depth.

The third song is a fast one. Thundering drums with razor-sharp riffs. The song keeps up the high pace until the ending. I will not say anything more about this because that will spoil the painful climax. This song probably has the most basic lyrics, without a lot of metaphors etc. But this works very well for a more straight forward song like this.

The last chapter is Exitus Letalis. This is the most mind-devastating song. I never felt so much agony in a song as I feel in Exitus Letalis. This is for me the best black metal song ever written, the structure, the riffs, the lyrics and especially the vocals. This is the most advanced song on the album since it contains more than just one guitar layer. In the beginning we can hear a clean guitar with a melody that sounds very similar to “Dimension of the blackest dark” from Forgotten Woods. Furthermore there is a great lead guitar that would be cheesy in any other band, but not here. This song contains the perfect climax for a nearly perfect album (if there would be such a thing). When the last riffs fades out you have to be a real life lover if you do not feel extremely empty and depressed.

It may come as no surprise that Germany's Nyktalgia play a style of Black Metal reminiscent of bands like Abyssic Hate, Burzum and any other influential Black Metal band that you care to mention. Their style could be considered "Depressive" or "Suicidal" and it would certainly be fitting due to the simplistic style Nyktalgia have adopted. Consisting of members from another depressive/suicidal band, Sterbend the influences are even easier to recognise.

Unlike most bands that play within the aforementioned genres, Nyktalgia have a more upbeat, perhaps even quirky sound to their music. It's actually quite refreshing. They easily change from one style of play to another. From depressive atmospheric music, to music of a more upbeat nature with it's creative and highly enjoyable riffs. The vocals are very much Varg-inspired. Black Metal has become accustomed to these haunting shrills but, to me, they never become tiresome. The vocals play a key role in portraying the lyrical themes the band wishes to delve into. Such haunting screams aptly depict the pain and suffering of the lyrical themes. Images of an isolated soul tormented by grief and despair are conjured up as the music takes you through it's journey of relentless destruction, taking out whatever stands in its path. Nyktalgia are incredibly atmospheric. This atmosphere is typical of Black Metal bands given the fact that it's melancholic and driven by distraught. Repetitive distorted guitars, uncompromising percussion and minimalism are the name of the day here. The production is spot on, the instruments are expertly executed and the songwriting of the bands members is top notch. This is a thoroughly enjoyable release.

Comparisons to Burzum, Wigrid and Nargaroth are bound to be made and justly so. Nyktalgia deserve to be highly rated and considered in the same breath as the aforementioned bands. It may be simplistic and it may not be the most technical piece of art you've heard before, but it's true to it's roots and is a fascinating melancholic piece of work. Entrancing, captivating and never boring, this will surely go down as a classic within the sub-genre in years to come. With such a high standard set with the self-titled release, i am highly anticipating the second album.

This is without a doubt one of the finest album's i've heard since i discovered Black Metal all those years ago, so it comes highly recommended.

The music that Nyktalgia creates is obviously inspired by earlier bands, Abyssic Hate, Nargaroth, Burzum, Behemoth, etc. And yet they create something unique and quite close to perfect. These German's know how to make mood with just the standard guitar, bass, drums and vocals line up, keeping that sense of minimalism and simplicity of earlier bands, and yet their song writing is not minimal, there are no one chord Transilvanian Hunger type songs on here, though indeed technical listeners will find naught to impress them, listeners who understand composition will be impressed at this bands ability to layer multiple minimal riffs across each other to create an atmosphere of death, despair and total depression. Often like Nargaroth and Burzum, they contrast more upbeat sections with other sections that are filled with despair and melancholy. The atmosphere on here is sorrowful and bleak, the songs are visions of darkness with no light, entraptment in a soicety that is on the brink of destruction, music like Burzum that expresses the emotions of a thinking person in a world filled with insanity and the effects of modern life.
This is music that creates an atmosphere around it that is unlike most bands. The mood is pure and is very little like any other band. Sure the vocalist may remind of Varg or Kanwulf, but he still has his own identity, the music also brings up similar emotions as those bands, but does not steal any riffs from anyone. This album is highly recommended to anyone who likes the darker more despair ridden black metal of Nargaroth, Burzum, Wigrid, Veil, Abyssic Hate, etc.