Anyone familiar with Nachtmystium knows that they've changed considerably over time, and in fact taken giant leaps with the past 3 albums. Their "breakthrough", 2006's Instinct: Decay still gets constant high marks for it's mixing of vicious black metal with a hint of psychedelia. 2008's Assassins: Black Meddle Part I pushed things a little further with cleaner production and letting the Pink Floyd influence really show through. It was the beginning of them starting to lose old fans and gain new ones. This new one, Addicts: Black Meddle Part II has officially polarized fans. Some are on the hate train moving away from these guys as fast as possible, yet it's damn near impossible to find any critics who'd say this is less than a 8 or 9 out of 10. Sure, what do critics know, right? But I figure if it's your job to listen to tonnes of stuff, stuff you probably most times could care less about, but can hand out 8's or 9's out of 10 to something that just passes your way for a review, it must have had some sort of impact. Nevermind that though, the truth is this album is the best of Nachtmystium's career thus far.
On this one, they bring back a slightly more muddied production value... though muddy doesn't sound right really... maybe it's just more... warm? I know, black metal warm? But I think it's a nice balance between Instinct and Assassins for production value. Blake Judd has definitely allowed his musical influences to shine through more than ever as well. He's made no bones about his interest and fondness for post-rock/hardcore and 80's bands and the dark-wave sound, etc. His bandmates/co-workers have rubbed off on him. Jeff Whitehead (aka Leviathan, aka Wrest, aka Lurker Of Chalice) was a primary influence for getting Blake into bands like Interpol (a band he admits he would've scoffed at had he not actually heard them). Sanford Parker (Minsk, Twilight) tried out things with drum machines and keys that Blake originally thought were cheesy but then they put it in the song and everything fit nicely.
This album has a pretty broad scope all the while staying distinctly metal. Black metal even. I doubt there's any indie-rock band who could tread the line between what they do and metal, but for whatever reason, metal bands seem to be granted the freedom to incorporate more sounds into their music and get away with it. It seems to me that metal bands such as this could care less about what can or can't be done within the confines of the all too narrow metal genres. You can combine metal with metal, metal with punk, metal with rock... but don't combine it with pop. Unless you're Nachtmystium.
Without a doubt there's something very "catchy" about this record. "Nightfall" and "No Funeral" both have these great dance-able rhythms that could be associated with bands like Franz Ferdinand or some more keyboard-centric indie-rocker. "Then Fires" and "Addicts" have a slower and darker feel something along the lines of The Cure or Joy Division or something like that. There's the bizarre "Blood Trance Fusion" that is like a twisted Alice Cooper song (lyrically) that starts off odd musically and comes off as a hardcore thrasher for the second half. "Ruined Life Continuum" I'm convinced, has a repeating guitar riff that Broken Social Scene must've written for him. That's not to say that he's written a fun clap-along sing-along song here, it doesn't unfold like that, but guitar passage is 100% bonafide indie-rock.
I should warn you however, the album opens with a pretty metal rager that is probably put at the start just to fuck with you. Just to mess with all the naysayers who gave this a shot hoping they'd have returned to old form. That one song probably had their fist in the air, rockin' with joy, but as the album would continue, that fist would still be in the air but now it'd be shaking and cursing Nachtmystium for not staying Trve or Cvlt enough.
I don't know if I've convinced anyone to listen to this or not. The album artworks screams metal. The back cover has a girl with a needle in her arm. The song titles don't sound friendly. And anyone afraid of metal or Black Metal in particular will probably not be convinced in any way to give this a try. But people like that will never understand why metal music is probably, in my opinion, the most creative music out there, hands down. The best artists steal and borrow and copy and make something new and move forward always expanding the boundaries of heavy music. Take a look and rock, indie, hip-hop, pop, punk (if you can even call it that anymore)... hell, jazz, blues... they're all treading water and have been for some time now. In most eyes, metal would be doing the same... but I would say most haven't heard Addicts: Black Meddle Part II yet.
This should do for them what Board Up The House did for Genghis Tron.
Listen: Ruined Life Continuum
You can purchase the CD and/or LP (with a bonus track) @ Century Media or download it here.
Nachtmystium Myspace
Tracklist:
1. Cry For Help
2. High On Hate
3. Nightfall
4. No Funeral
5. Then Fires
6. Addicts
7. The End Is Eternal
8. Blood Trance Fusion
9. Ruined Life Continuum
10. Every Last Drop
Stolen from http://doomblackblogspot.blogspot.com/
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