Let me open this review by saying “Hell Yeah“!
Somnium Nox is an Australian Black Metal band hailing from Sydney/Canberra.
Not sure how that works out for touring but this album is killer. For those who like their black metal, this release has all the ambient sounds as well as the obligatory blast beats. The “hell yeah” I was referring to earlier is to the added didgeridoo. The sounds of the didgeridoo add another layer of textural class to this album and it’s done well. The didgeridoo is used to create a haunting element in the atmosphere.
The songs are rather long. Only 3 in total but the way they are recorded sounds like different parts which makes the overall listen easy.
The tremolo picking high of a high standard and guitar work, in general, is first class. The vocals are typical black metal snarls which is hard to understand but that’s black metal for you.
The drumming is brutal, the footwork insane and the blast beats destructive. The recording is clear and all the instrumentations are well defined.
The cover art is not your typical black metal cover of unreadable band logos set in the forest with the band members striking a pose with burning swords. It’s is a rather tasteful cover but with the same black metal tones of the forest and flowers which have skulls adorning the centre.
I’m not a massive fan of black metal but the stuff I do listen to I really enjoy and I’m happy to mention that Somnium Nox is included in that list. This is an enjoyable album and a good release from the Aussie Black metallers.
Somnium Nox: Facebook
Release Year: 2017
Label: Transcending Obscurity Records
Category: Album
Country: Australia
Reviewed by Adrian ‘Dren’ Barham
