Wahnsinn.Tod.Verrat

I thought "Necrohell" was a GREAT black metal album. It had a dirty, echoey truly necro sound to it, and some really keen riffs and monstrously frightening vocals by Nordvinth. I honestly can't tell that "W.T.V." is the same band that did "Necrohell". In fact, I don't know if I can objectively review this album due to that fact, but I'll try. And lack of objectivity never seems to dissuade "professional" music critics, does it?

As the other reviewer stated, this is not a "loud" album, not that "Necrohell" was, either. However, it is also not an abrasive record; I was perplexed at how very smoooooooth all the instruments sounded, almost like an 80's new-wave band sound! This sound is taken to such extreme that it is often very, very difficult to discern whether one is hearing guitar, keyboard, or both. That is something that I REALLY don't appreciate in a metal album! The use of keyboard is very prevalent on this album, and are not just used as atmospheric devices. Nor are the keyboards symphonic-sounding---they just sound like, as I said before, 80's new-wave keyboards! Perhaps I've gone a bit too far with that statement; they aren't used to make dorky spaceship noises or anything! Aside from that big minus, there is nothing that sticks out about the instruments' sounds.

The songs, themselves, are very forgettable. There was nothing in the slightest that made me sit up at attention, nothing novel, nothing even interesting! All I heard were barely-acceptable-as-black-metal riffs and arrangements. And WAY too many "ambient" passages, some of which even approaching faggy techno!

And the formerly haunting vocals? Even though it is the same guy, it is almost like the difference from when Metallica became "metallifags". Not that Nordvinth is crooning or anything, but in the past he displayed a range of shrieks and howls and razor-gargling eruptions that almost any black metal vocalist would envy. Now? Just uninspired generic shadows of former glory. At several points, he sounds just like Schmier from Destruction!---not that Schmier is crummy (quite the opposite!), but why substitute black metal vocals for Schmier's in a black metal band? I imagine it was not at all intentional. In fact, the only thing that does seem intentional about this is that they wanted to make a dull album. It isn't really bad, or happy-sounding, or technically inept, just boring

I wanted to give this a 40%, especially after all the trouble I went through to get it and all the anticipation dashed to disappointment, but I imagine there are SOME people who might like this "new-direction" Nihil Nocturne. I CAN say that the packaging is nice! There is some value in it as background music for when you are reading,or maybe for someone who really appreciates the "droning"-style bands (though I don't think it can fill the bill there, either) or for those of you who may think other black metal is too heavy and icky--- but for those of us who ENJOY things heavy and icky, or interesting and memorable, or filthy and raw, think twice about shelling out any dough for this! Get "Necrohell" instead!