ALBUM REVIEW: Nocturnal Departure – Cathartic Black Rituals

Here I review the debut album from Canadian Black Metallers NOCTURNAL DEPARTURE. Out now via Redefining Darkness Records, Death Kvlt Productions and Les Fleurs du Mal Productions.

The album starts strangely with claustrophobic ambient gurgles and grunting, setting a really weird mood for what lies ahead with some almost techno rhythms punching through. Suddenly we are given guitar feedback that leads into mournful and melancholic riffing, powerfully emotive and with built in hammering drums before the vocalists tormenting screams complete the mix. A raw soundscape immediately permeates the air with icy Black Metal, old school in sound and the ferocity can commence. Whiplash grooves take a different turn with some headbanger friendly riffing and monolithic hooks that conjure a demonic momentum amongst the sombre array of aggressively bitter musicianship. There are some dancing melodic vibes akin to Sargeist shining through but other than this nuance, the album offers an overall more vicious and pummelling assault, taking primal sounds and putting them into overdrive with a consistently fierce approach from all musicians while utilising a gorgeously ritualistic, occasionally bleak juxtaposition to enhance the atmospherics of the record. For me there is a bittersweet sound to it throughout that is monstrously aggressive but also introspective and brilliant beyond the realms of just the sounds. The riffs and drums are traditional, with a vitriolic performance that has an inhuman sound from the vocalist to complement the estranged ambience of the instruments that thrash away, ensnaring you in the mighty brilliance of the atmospheric concoctions the band craft so beautifully. Raw and filthy is the only fitting description of the production yet there is a pristine glistening from the occasional guitar note the penetrates the grisly meandering rhythms adding a somewhat dissonant touch to the music. Amidst howls, tremolo onslaughts, discordant atmospherics and maniacal drums, there is a flame of Black Metal excellency burning away from this obscure Canadian act that must be heard and appreciated. An utterly phenomenal debut release with plentiful variation and killer ideas to suggest this project will have a busy and prosperous future that lives up to the “Cathartic Black Rituals” title of the album. Soothingly hideous, curated beautifully, this is some particularly tasteful work that calls out to the abyss with massively orchestrated soundscapes of truly occult Black Metal prowess. -8/10