Customer Reviews

Assassins: Black Meddle Pt. 1

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have tried and tried to get into Black Metal. I've stumbled upon some interesting finds (DeathSpell Omega, Negura Bunget, Emperor etc) but nothing that really pushed the limits and was actually entertaining. I'll be honest, the whole Black Metal wankery just doesn't do it for me. I appreciate the whole anti-establishment message, but the potentcy of such a message gets lost in the myriad of elitism, garbage lyrics and Satanic drivel, silly looking corpse paint and wannabe Elizabethan poets.

Nachtmystium do something entirely different, and I'm sure it helps that the band themselves don't even consider their music 'Black Metal'. Rather, they take elements from any genre they please, fuse them together and voila! you get some amazing music. 'Assassins: Black Meddle Part 1' is a very deep, interesting, tripped out and awesome journey that is truly unique and different, though not without its faults. Using Black Metal as a foundation, Nachtmystium bring forth a very raw and agressive sound that is buffered by some cool and tripped out psychedelica jamming/electronic noise, and some rock influences as well. The vocals are harsh, barren and very Black Metal, as is the core of the music. What you get is your usual Black Metal barrage of high pitched shrieking, blast beats so fast it sounds like its in a different time signature from the rest of the band, and tremelo picked guitars. However entangled within each musical piece are atmospherical/electronic movements and passages, giving the listener a break from the blast beats, the screeching and the tremelo guitars. These trippy breakdowns are very reminiscant of things that Pink Floyd used to do, and in fact this album is a sort of tribute to that bands musical breakthrough 'Meddle', you could actually say (as many critics have already) that 'Assassins: Black Meddle Part 1' is just that: a Black Metal version of Pink floyd's 'Meddle', or rather 'Meddle' done Nachtmystium style.

For some good examples of their fusion mastery, check out the song 'Assassins' which features a very long electronic/trippy outro that is sure to take you to other dimensions.

No matter what you call it, Nachtmystium make some really interesting and gripping music. I would certainly peg them as a genre defying band and not a Black Metal band. While the majority of 'Black Meddle: part 1' follows many Black Metal staples, there is enough psycheldelic and rock substance to add some variety and depth to the songs.

I highly recommend this release to music lovers, genre hopping lovers and those willing to step outside the box.

What if Pink Floyd made a black metal album? Sounds like a ridiculous question, the music of Pink Floyd and black metal have nothing in common. That's what I thought until last week. Boy was I wrong. This is my first exposure to Nachtmystium, and in general, I don't really care for most black metal music. I like the basic fell of black metal, it's typically too harsh, and the lyrics are just too ridiculous for me. That's an unfortunate stereotype I guess, and I think that this album is going to be the catalyst to expand my musical intersts into the genre a little more.

But as for this album...all I can say is WOW! I bought this after it was announced that they would be opening for Opeth in the fall, and seeing very favorable reviews on several websites. I have lsitened to it at least 8-10 times since last Tuesday.

The album starts out with a mellow, mostly instrumental track (One Of These Nights). Reading the title gave me images of the Pink Floyd track One Of These Days...and after listening to it, you realize that the band definitely had this song in mind when they recorded their version. By no means a cover, but a very distinct influence

The next track, Assassins, is a great catchy song. I find myself repeating the chorus over and over again, and it instantly got added to my metal playlists on my iPod.

The rest of the album ranges in style from electronic, spacy instrumental passages, directly out of the Pink Floyd song book to riffy, heavy, and ultimately very catchy metal. The typical (IMO) black metal vocals are there, but are never felt as harsh or too extreme.

The album ends with three tracks, the Seasick trilogy. The first two parts are instrumental, very mellow and moody, then finished up with the third track, emotional and driving and just really gets you fired up.

My only complaint (and it sounds cliche, but it is true) is that the album is too short. It is only about 45 minutes long, which maybe is an indication of how spoiled I am by some other bands who put out no less that 60 minutes of music every year or so. I guess I just have to start making my way through the back catalog of Nachtmystium very soon...

It does my heart great joy to submit such a review for Chicago's own Nachtmystium. We are a city fortunate enough to have some new bands come out representing us with serious metal fury/creativity(Born of Osiris, Veil of Maya, Lair of the Minotaur, Plague Bringer and Sweet Cobra just to name a few). These guys here are no different.

Assassins is technically the fourth album from Nacht but the first to be recorded at top notch professional quality. Things start of moody and psychedelic with the intro and progressively get heavier until it meshes right into the title track.

"Assassins"(the song itself) is so addictive I must have listened to it a hundred times already. It's insanely energetic and ends with some great psychedelic flavor before moving on to what is if anything a modern day metal masterpiece. I'm amazed no one combined psychedelic with metal until now. But, Nacht knows how to do it well and doesn't disappoint with tracks like "Your True Enemy"(Crush Your Temples!) and the "Seasick" trilogy of pure psychedelic metal madness!

If Black Meddle Part II is anywhere near this good is quite an album to hear.

I am probably the last person you would expect to like Black Metal. My current listening habits tend more towards jazz and classical. Just to give you an idea, this CD shares shelf space with Ann-Sophie Mutter and Fats Navarro. I bought it just for the hell of it after reading a funny review of a Nachmystium concert in Brooklyn that maybe a dozen people showed up for, and because when I was a teenager I used to love "Meddle", especially "One of These Days". I half-expected it to be a waste of time and money, but I quickly came to love this CD. Despite the Black Metal tag, the cover art, and the song titles, this music is not morbid or self-serious. Some tracks, like(my favorite)"Ghosts of Grace," are just a full-tilt sonic assault. Others, like the concluding "Seasick..." suite are more moody and atmospheric. Throughout, the CD seems to be infused with a sense of humor. At times it sounds almost like a really clever parody of a head-banging hair band. The hyperactive drummer seems to be paying no attention to what the rest of the band is doing, yet somehow sounds just right. The hooks in some of these songs are totally addictive. The lyrics, yelled hoarsely over wailing guitars and synthesizers, are perfect and hysterical. By the time I heard the singer screaming about "the winds of disease, rot and pestilence" I found myself laughing out loud with delight. "Assassins..." remains in heavy rotation on my Ipod. Hit the gym or the highway, put the peddle to the metal, and crank this one up.

Assassins Is a great album. The songs flow together seemlessly, and is much better experienced as an album, as opposed to just listening to certain songs. Although this is still very much a metal album, Nachtmystium have a way with balancing out their harsher moments with lighter almost floydian moments, resulting in an epic and truely unique experience.

A truly unique metal album, mixes American black metal with a very punkish attitude and the obvious Pink Floyd references. Heavy, fast, punishing and unrelenting mixed with unique flourishes and some odd instrumentation. If you are looking for something new and unique in your metal, here is a band for you!

As other reviews have stated, this album can be best described as a fusion of Pink Floyd and Black Metal. Assassins is my first introduction to this band and this has to be some of the best Black Metal state-side. Of course, that is only my opinion. But there is an excellent mix of synthesizer and traditional black metal elements that are blended very well and create quite an amazing atmosphere. If you feel Black Metal is getting a little stale, give Nachtmystium a try, they do a decent job of re-invigorating a genre that needs a good jolt.

Nachtmystium are often labeled a lot of things in the metal world from ambient to traces of hazy black metal, and are also a victim to poor judgment. Many dub this group boring, I've gone in and out of this albums grooves a few times over. Didn't dull the energy, the members roots are still strongly uncompromising.

The vinyl copy is on clear yellow vinyl limited to 2,000 copies worldwide. Gatefold cover, no inserts to be found, 2lp set. The record is naturally a loud one even on low volumes, the drums are a bit dry and manage to block out some of the lower end sounds. What this album does have is atmosphere, it's quick draw card is its psychedelically influenced 70's sounds. Another reviewer mentioned them being a metallic Pink Floyd, yes one could draw comparisons with the phasing wiry sounds, but it isn't all too close to make a buy just because of slight similarities. IF you like psychedelic music, like metal, enjoy the extreme heavy metal genres (particularly Death and Black), aren't against long sound scape's... Well this one seems to fit snug.

Following their venture into Psychedelic metal, Nachtmystium has returned to the frontiers of the unknown with their 2008 release, "Assassins: Black Meddle, pt 1". The album represents front man Blake Judd's latest musical innovations, which takes the 1970s-esque works of Pink Floyd and bravely contemporizing it with elements of black metal. While accomplishing this successfully, Judd has insisted that Nachtmystium is no longer a black metal band, and insists that they have moved on to other genres. Nonetheless, the album is still a good display of musicianship, which captivates the listener in voids of "Blackadelia".

First and foremost, I need to give major props to veteran drummer Tony Laureano, who turned a mediocre album into an exceptional one by varying his drumming techniques and fully complementing, if not driving, certain parts of album. "Assassins" forte is its intricate and distinct sound. The band's previous critically acclimated album, "Instinct: Decay", used a similar formula to submerge the listener in layers upon layers of sound. "Assassins" uses the same element, but clarifies them to the point there the listener can distinctly dissect the sound. For example, the track "Ghosts of Grace" contains a motif of haunting guitar overtones, while delicately splicing in space-bound sound effects into the mix. The effort is done seamlessly, as two sound blend perfectly together.

"Assassins" is further defined from the Nachtmystium's other work by including more distinct tracks that can be distinguished from one in another. The track "Seasick, Pt2: Oceanborne" opens with inter galactic noises accompanied by an up-beat and peppy tempo, and then breaks off to introduce an elaborate Saxophone interlude. "True Enemy" is defined by jagged and wrathful vocals that embody feelings of malevolence and revenge. The album's musicianship is by far a major upgrade from "Instinct: Decay", partially because the guitar tracks use less distortion and warmer sound that reminisce the band's sound of "Eulogy IV". The choice of special effects and productions is a tad bit overused, but perfectly establishes a darkened and existential presence in the listeners mind.

"Assassins" is definitely worth buying; its stylings represent a landmark for in Nachtmystium's history, and show signs that the band has matured. Forget the tremolo picking, repetitive blast-beats, cold, low-fi production, and corpse paint; Nachtmystium has once again defied the black metal scene to create something innovative and bold that actually demonstrates true musicianship. My only complaint on the album is that it is too short; for a progressive piece, I wished the album included a few more tracks. Hopefully, the album's sequel is not far away. I recommend "Assassins" to anyone who is interested in contemporary psychedelic and progressive rock, or newcomers looking for something "dark", but yet complex.

Final Score 4.5/5 stars.

I never followed their earlier stuff really and super bleak black metal really never spoke to me much but an album like this comes off as just pure magick... This album breathes between classic rock, post punk and black thrashy metal... Great from start to finish and highly recommended. I own Addicts as well, which is good and interesting, but this is the must own album from this band, especially if you aren't a dogmatic Black Metal purist...