ALBUM REVIEW: Nocturnal Prayer – Mutilation On The Bed Of Winter

Canadian Black Metal ritualist NOCTURNAL PRAYER returns with their debut album, out now via Inferna Profundus Records.

Storming into life with rocking drum beats and dissonant riffs, the expansive and inhuman echoes of Nocturnal Prayer instantly feel like a lost gem of 90s Black Metal that’s worth rediscovering with their convincingly cold, abrasive soundscapes tinged by melancholy but ultimately very aggressive in delivery. The malicious vocals and bitter instruments act in a united and forceful manner to convey emotive and taunting atmospherics with a huge emphasis on discomfort, anguish and scorn. It is key to mention here, that although raw, the songwriting and execution is profoundly excellent and the vitriolic riffs, cavernous drumming and malignant vocals can all be heard distinctly, just they are far from polished. There is no denying their primary objective with the production is to sound old, which works because the music can stand for itself, there is no using rawness as a veil for poor songwriting or lacklustre musicianship. This is why Nocturnal Prayer are among my favourites in the so-called Raw Black Metal micro-genre.

Venturing deeper into the abyssal ambience, there is something ultimately cathartic about this record which has a healthy blend of nods to Norwegian, Finnish and their native Canada’s Black Metal over the years. Some 90s, some more recent, but all fitting together in their own way. There are depressive moments, moments of despairing anxiety but also endless streams of malice and disdain which stops the more melancholy, funereal parts from rendering the album limp. In fact these contrasts are key to making a 40-minute album that doesn’t fall into repetition. This definitely will pull listeners back in for more than one listen. In fact we even get almost traditional Heavy Metal sounding riffs on “Moonlit Paths To The Crystalline Throne” which are just killer, really injecting some energetic performance into the barbarism of the surrounding song. Sublime.

Across the album we hear huge jumps in mood which are volatile but not so jarring as to not make sense. This is clearly a work that a huge amount of expression has gone into creating which must be commended, as it feels truly authentic, not just like a quick project that was bashed out to kill a weekend. I think Nocturnal Prayer have the potential to become quite an important force in underground Black Metal and as their demos were magnificent, they have grown further still to craft a brilliant debut full length. The sound has matured, the production improved and their songwriting and musicianship is clearly at its strongest to date. There are moments that transport you into the coldest dungeons of the medieval age, and moments that will take you soaring above mountains, there is beauty and grace contradicted by sheer brutish ugliness. These juxtapositions make this record not only sonically and aesthetically but also emotionally a stand-out work.

Truly magnificent Black Metal that worships the old flame, bearing the torch of their sonic ancestors without relying on mere recycled riffs or a low-fi production to cover up incompetence, rather giving a superb and devastating performance of the dark arts.