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Nocturnal > Arrival of the Carnivore > Reviews
Nocturnal - Arrival of the Carnivore

Fierce - 74%

Felix 1666, September 9th, 2019
Written based on this version: 2005, CD, From Beyond Productions

Nocturnal exist since almost 20 years and have never left the underground. One can describe this situation with the word stagnation, but some hordes just do not intend to see the bright light of day. "Arrival of the Carnivore" marked their first full-length after countless previous releases and their maturity shimmers through the material, although the songs do not lack fierceness. The band heralds a very merciless approach and its black thrash compositions are fueled by razor-sharp riffs and precise drumming. The songs do not fall victim to their own primitiveness. This is sometimes a problem in the blackened thrash department, but here we have tracks that offer more than punk-influenced verse-chorus-verse patterns. Of course, nobody has ever hailed the band for its complex monuments or its prog rock tendencies. Nevertheless, they integrate more than one or two riffs in each and every song and create intense sonic bastards.

The vocals are done by Andy, the man who lend his voice to numerous Witchburner releases as well. His authentic nagging is always a pleasure, although his pitch lacks variety. He masters all challenges, only the boozy "Burn this Town" with its sing-along chorus has not been tailored to his individual skills. But honestly speaking, I don't think that this song in its entirety fits the context of the album. Nocturnal stand for beastly assassination, not for more or less violent party songs. And so they rush through their songs, full speed ahead, with an overdose of riffs that makes up for the absence of melodies. Sometimes I miss this iota of catchiness that helps each and every style to improve the impact of the music, but this is nothing that mars the overall impression in a significant manner. More important is that the riffs do not go nowhere, and here Nocturnal show their real strength. The guitar work leaves a spontaneous, skilful and energetic impression.

The booklet shows the logo of the "Hellbangers Moselfranken" and the solidarity with bands like Desaster may give you an idea how the album sounds. By the way, it is well produced. It presents the right mix of dirt and clarity. Maybe the voice of Andy is not loud enough in comparison with the guitars, but he struggles successfully to keep up with the instrumentalists. Due to the lack of memorable parts, I do not really have highlights I could recommend specifically. Nonetheless, the album works as a whole and meets the daily requirement of fury with great ease. The band did not yet reach the excellence they showed on "Storming Evil", but the foundation-stone for further deeds was laid. The comparatively epic closer indicated their later masterpiece most insistently. Speaking of masterpieces, the last one was released in 2014. Isn't it time for a worthy successor?

Predatory. - 85%

Diamhea, April 4th, 2015
Written based on this version: 2015, CD, MDD Records (Reissue)

I received this promo under the personal assumption that I was reasonably familiar with this band's material, as I have some history with their 2009 release Violent Revenge. Well, the joke is apparently on me, as Arrival of the Carnivore is actually the band's debut, originally released in 2005 after a few years of remarkably consistent activity that continues to this day. So as opposed to taking stock of this German four-piece's condition in the here and now, let's take a step back and assess their emergence as one of the more lauded and consistent Teutonic black/thrash acts of the less decade or so.

Feral is the best and most succinct illustration of Nocturnal's sound, boasting rude and unbalanced production riding on the blood-soaked coattails of Riedel's sneering and forceful vocals. Straight, traditional and well executed, Arrival of the Carnivore checks all of the Teutonic thrash hallmarks as it rumbles by, never overstaying its welcome and actually proving that the band can competently shuffle the iniquitous deck when pressured and deliver more ambitious pieces. That said, most of the album boasts faster, egregiously-picked runs splayed out in predictable yet endearing patterns. Many of these songs have trouble breaking the three-minute mark, quickly delivering the sonic equivalent of getting coffin dust blown in your face and concurrently kicked in the family jewels. Nocturnal lack the out-of-the-box appeal of Destruction, but certainly deliver punishment along the lines of early Sodom and Kreator. A few reprobate whiffs of Bathory's heavier moments round out the growing cadre of appeals, as I am always ready and willing to receive a personal beatdown at the hands of emulation done commendably and without pretense.

As mentioned, the band actually pulls proceedings together shockingly well for the longer numbers. The final two songs tease at something potentially greater permeating within, pushing the runtime and delivering more than the typical volley. The sprawling, melodic main riff of "Victorious Night" is probably my favorite of the entire record, counterpointing the razing verses and fitting the atmosphere like a spiked gauntlet. Closer "Awakening the Curse of Souls" is a chugging, monolithic trudging through all of the havoc engendered by the rest of the album, evoking a righteous Bathory vibe and allowing the listener a chance to gather his/her wits to enjoy the comparatively controlled chaos within. "Coven of Darkness" also stood out for me personally, if only for the stellar atmosphere it crafts before the album begins in earnest. Normally fare of such caliber is spliced in at the eleventh hour, but I definitely get the sense that the band put some valid effort into it.

Arrival of the Carnivore works shockingly well. I find no fault in shelving these Germans atop the mighty pedestal that houses current genre leaders such as Aura Noir and Desaster. The virtue of hindsight makes it easy to trace the band's success all the way back to this record. I am grateful to have heard this reissue, which is one of many as this album rightfully deserves. The exciting, schizoid bursts of rumbling power and traditional speed picking make Arrival of the Carnivore a modern standout and one not to be missed!


Promo courtesy of The Metal Observer

Classic German Thrash. - 83%

isaacher, September 22nd, 2006

A relatively new and unknown band from Germany; a 4-piece that is essentially still stuck in the 80s. The sound is pure 80s thrash metal (ala Kreator, Sodom etc..) and it's a fucking riff-fest!

The structure of the songs strongly relies on riff progression, not in the "245 riff per second" Dark Angel principle, but in a more less chaotic style, and the riffs themselves absolutely kill; though I heard shades of Raining Blood (the song) in the second track. Leads are almost non-existant bar a few tracks, so I'm inclined to reduce the score as penalty.

The vocals are in the typical German style. Raspy screeches and barks with hardly any growls. Think in the Kreator or Morbid Saint style. They rip and make the music more aggressive than it already is. And then there's the occasional gang vocals that are always welcome like on Burn This Town. Overall a pretty solid vocal performance.

There are hardly any traces of the bass in the mix which is unfortunate. The drums are nothing extra-ordinary either, but they're up to the job. No double-bass or blasts; just straight up thrash.

An excellent debut from Nocturnal to sum it up. A riff driven album that absolutely slays. My only gripe with the album is the lack of leads, but that ain't enough to make it unlistenable. Recommended.

Standouts: Temples of Sin, Preventive War, Burn This Town, War of Spirits.

Nocturnal Debut - 100%

DekSlayer, May 3rd, 2005

Everything that we need is on this album! A mix of Old Destruction, Violent Force, Kreator and Sodom! Not exaclty a "mix" but almost sounds that, but not equal in any way! Talking about the LP, you can perceive all the time the old school veins of thrash. When it starts, the "intro" starts killing our ears with the expectations of the drums, and then begin the drums and riffs! The first track after the Intro is "Temples of Sin" with sharp riffs and a lot of euphoria! Metallic Mayhem has the talent of destroying with your "vokills". The third track called "Satanic Oath" expresses the feeling of Thrash, as well as the whole album. And after this killing one comes "Preventive War" as 4th track. After listened to that I asked Evil Avenger "Who is the singer on that music! Angelripper?!" I was definitively shocked! The instrumental souds similar to Sodom! After this excellent music starts the hymn " Burn This Town". I've called Hymn because it sounds like that. The music is sung at the same time by several people, for that is a hymn! The next one is "War of Spirits" and again Metallic Mayhem controls with his killer vocals! and Avenger lacerates our ears with your Axe! That's brilliant! The screams tear in pieces everything in a row!
And then comes another one! haha I can't understand! These guys made something to the Thrash Metal history, because each track overcomes the others and it goes... The next is "Merciless Murder" and they're right, cause they don't have mercy for our ears!!!! With killer riffs starts "Nuclear Strike" showing us how to make our own Nuclear War. Sure, with those killer riffs and fast drums exploding everything, What do you want! And comes "Victorious Night" speed and consistence, the originality of this track top expectations...
And to finish this great piece of Thrash and also Heavy Metal comes "Awakening The Curse Of Souls", which grows up while as the sound volume get louder and comes the devastation!

I was surprised with the repercussion of this album. I bought with a friend of São Paulo the album in the MANIAC version. I advise, get it come what may.

Uriel DekSlayer.