Followers of Swedish nutters Watain, Norway’s Satanic lot Gorgoroth and/or Poland’s ever mighty Behemoth can keep the Euro flag flying thanks to Noctem, a Black Metal/Death Metal export who originate from Valencia, Spain.
If you’re into the Black, the Death or the Blackened Death, you’ll know there are any number of outfits churning out this kinda thing – it’s almost a plague. Noctem, though, stand corpse-painted heads and blood-spattered shoulders above much of the competition. The playing chops, commitment and control cannot be questioned. These guys are expert and experienced (the band have been around since 2002), the music is vicious and visceral, the territory they navigate is atmospheric, cinematic, theatrical. Noctem are the real deal.
The band’s name is Latin for “the night” and the album title translates as: “I believe with certainty there is no tomorrow.” If that doesn’t say it all, you will definitely know what you are in for with song titles like Sanctum Of Anguish, Ceremonial Miasma and The Tolling Of The Nine Bells (maybe the maddest, baddest track of the lot), not to mention previous albums such as Haeresis and The Black Consecration.
The most prevalent Noctem modus operandi now seems to involve subtle, moody openings before howls and growls, guitars swirling down into the mire, into the mosh, driven ever deeper by a more-or-less relentless drum attack. From there, piercing, surprisingly melodic geetars soar upwards, above the rhythmic maelstrom, flying towards a cataclysmic, climactic conflagration. Expert production and those melodic guitars offer a vital sense of dynamic space.
The album is bookended by opener I Am Alpha and closing song We Are Omega (the majestic single, full of Iberian intensity, rolling clouds of thunder, waves of might), with the pummelling and powerful The Pale Moon Rite qualifying as a suitably epic centrepiece, as well as perhaps the strongest track vocally.
The eponymous Credo … maintains the joint guitar-drum attacks, then almost fades away before launching a new offensive. Mostly it’s about the speed and the force and the drive, and even some Thrash, while other tracks (Homilia Of Punishment, for instance) include effective midtempo passages with bits of Doom or almost Sludge.
Noctem are Beleth (vocals), Voor (drums), Varu (bass), Tobal and Moss (both guitars).
The album cover artwork is typical of the genre but, again, something of a cut above – perfect for Noctem.
Credo Certe Ne Cras, by Noctem, is out on Friday (October 28), via MNRK Heavy