Nyktalgia: Peisithanatos
As a previous reviewer did, I followed in suite, trekking outside my home into the gloomy darkness of the outside world. I treaded alongside dreary forests and high rising electrical poles, the full moon glooming at my back and casting an eerie shadow before me. I tearfully crawled up empty fields and hollow forests, the streets empty and houses dim, not a single soul or motor vehicle in sight, all the while the pulsating sound of audible suicide tearing through my veins. This is Nyktalgias second outing, a depressive masterpiece bound to be praised for years to come. After being shattered by their debut album, I had high hopes going into their newest offering and came out alive, but just barely.
This is a difficult album to relay with words, as previously noted, as I see it as being schizophrenic. The first song, and without a doubt one of their best songs, is emotionally straining. It reminds me of Exitus Letalis, beginning extremely catchy and melodic only to sweep into a much slower riff with the high pitched vocals piercing the bleak atmosphere. It truly is amazing, yet somehow, one of the most depressing things I’ve ever heard. Treading alongside the moonlit forest in the early hours of the morning, the sound of Nyktalgia blaring directly into my mind, the hate-filled vocals screeching and ripping at my soul, I truly felt alone. So desolate and deprived of importance or reason, I somberly walked on without direction or hope. It didn’t help the situation when the rain began to fall just as Skjeld crawls into the song, his screeching devastation tearing down my quintessential empire.
The reason I’m calling this album schizophrenic is the second song, Nekrolog. It completely shattered the atmosphere the first song built up to. Instead of another melancholic and beautiful riff, it opted for a more upbeat, generic black metal riff. The vocals also shift into a lower growl, not quite death metal but not quite Nyktalgia. The lower vocal style mixed in with thundering blast beats and a generic riff-driven feel, I felt cheated. It felt like a failed suicide, like the rope was cut or the water was drained. Just another filler track lacking any emotional drive or thought-provoking feel the entire ride through. I believe I forgot it just as it ended.
The third song resembles a mixture of the first two, the bipolar brainchild of depression and hope. The song begins and I think to myself “Oh boy, here we go again”. I was already in a bit of a happy mood, and honestly thought about switching over to Mayhem or 1349 just in spite of what I heard out of the second track. As the song continued on, it progressively improved into the atmosphere I had longed for. Perfect timing as well, just as the vocals kicked in to send a chilling nostalgia through my veins, my melodic catharsis. The song continues on and on, and after awhile, my mind began to drift. Not because of boredom, but because of the constant stream of bellowing drums and haunting guitars retaining a mellow atmosphere perfect for dreaming. I transcended into a cesspool of fragmented hopes and long forgotten dreams, all the while terrorizing vocals screaming at me, my longing to remember kicked back into perspective. Winterhearts fantastic drumming pounding on my skull just as the song closes, another masterpiece suiciding upon impact.
The fourth and final song is more or less the same. A catchy bass line and harrowing vocals haunting the track throughout its ten minute span. A satisfying finale to a malignant album, a volatile aggregation of sorrow and grief spewed forth over some of the most devastating vocals ever presented. The production must be noted, seeing as it’s an enormous improvement over the first album. Every instrument is clearly heard and retains its individuality throughout the entire album, not one dominant over another. Skjeld is just as amazing as before, reaching unparalleled screams that reverberate in your mind for days to come. This truly reaches the pinnacle of the suicidal black metal genre, an isolated plague set forth to harvest happiness and optimism, an album fueled by sorrow and absolute hatred. Nyktalgia have surpassed all expectations and released yet another beautiful and eloquent album, destroying all that is beaming with joy and happiness in its wake. Embrace the emptiness and give in to your foreboding demise. Nyktalgia is calling.
91%
