Nokturnal Mortum have outdone themselves once again with NeChrist. Being one of the biggest black metal acts hailing from Ukraine and known for their national socialist views, their is no denying, whether you agree with them or not, that Nokturnal Mortum makes some of the best music in the black metal scene today.
Nokturnal Mortum has always been known for their terrific use of keyboards in order to set a great natural medieval atmosphere to their music. In this album they once again showcase this gift. However, although the keys are not as abundant on NeChrist than on Goat Horns, the band still manages to express their signature feel to the music. With the presence of two keyboardists, one would think that the synths would overpower the music. Not so. The use of two keyboardists only adds more depth and expression to the music which flows along perfectly with the rest of the instruments.
One big difference about NeChrist in comparison to Nokturnal Mortum's previous releases is the much more raw and primitive production on the album. I think that because of this, the album should be viewed individually from the rest of the band's releases. NeChrist showcases creativity and diversity in the band's sound as they experiment a bit, yet not enough so that their old style is completely gone. Even though the production is a bit raw, the album remains extremely listenable while maintaining a primitive and aggressive atmosphere.
From a medieval battlefield to vast forests, Nokturnal Mortum captures such atmospheres with unbelievable skill. The presence of a Ukrainian folk orchestra only makes the experience even more captivating since the folk parts sound so much more believable and work along with the keyboards flawlessly to create great natural melodies that accompany the merciless riffage of the rest of the band.
Another difference about NeChrist from the rest of Nokturnal Mortum's work is that it's much more thrashy when it comes to the guitars. The riff that is built up at the end of "The Night Before the FIght" will force you to bang your head as Varggoth screams his lungs out in classic black metal fashion. I thoroughly enjoy the guitarwork on this album as well as the terrific drumming which is not the normal blastbeat filler that is
abundant in so much of black metal today.
The band really focused on nature as their topic on this album as they dedicated over 70 tracks to nature sounds before ripping their listeners' heads off with a cover of their own old song "Perun's Celestial Silver" which they completely improved upon in almost every way. And that's something because the song was already ingenious on their Lunar Poetry album. The folk musicians really stand out on the track and close the album tremendously well on track 88, symbolizing Nokturnal Mortum's ideology.
NeChrist is a hands down must-have for anybody into black metal, especially those who are into medieval folk influenced black metal. I would even say that it is one of the best albums to grace the scene in years. Nokturnal Mortum are using all the best aspects of black metal which anybody in the genre can enjoy. A purely amazing release by an incredible band.
Sample:
Nokturnal Mortum - Нехристь [Nechrist] (FULL ALBUM 1999)
