Reviews for Nokturnal Mortum - To the Gates of Blasphemous Fire:
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Even if "To The Gates Of Blasphemous Fire" lacks somewhat compared with "Goat Horns", it's still a fantastic (or should I say phenomenal!) release. It's got melodies I've never heard before: the guitars in "On The Moonlight Path", the rhythm in "The Hands Of Chaos" and the ingenious ambient track "Cheremosh" with the sound of water flowing in the background. This album is faster and more brutal with straightforward riffs, one of the five best albums ever released by any band! But not only the music, even the cover-artwork is majestic! ALL HAIL KNJAZ VARGGOTH!!! The guy, who gave this album a "1" should be cruzified!!! Review by: hatred From The End Records "To The Gates Of The Blasphemous Fire" manifests the new catastrophic eminence of Nokturnal Mortum. In a fierce fervor of Moonlight Metal with speeds that touch chaos, epical notes, pagan ritualism and spectacular instrumentation, the whole album is on fire from start to finish. Accompanying the sheer intensity of the vocal eruptions is the two guitars creating remarkable riffs of crashing rapture with the two keyboards furiously weaving ultra majestic atmospheres in the background. The mastery of this album runs deep and dark accenting for a new revelation every time. With this supreme effort Nokturnal Mortum have just delivered the epitome of Black Metal... The album comes packaged in a dark war-inspired artwork; and being dipped into the silverish rays of a full moon a lunar aura is splattered in it’s blasphemous path... Review by: shcherba Erebus The most astonishing thing about this record is the sheer amount of space that it seeks to embrace - or present, as it were, to the listener in its initial opening of musical atmosphere. While most atmospheric black metal bands are content with presenting an evocative space that will fill your mind with visions of enclosed areas - rooms, buildings, groups, crowds or specifically designated areas (usually nature scenes or spaces that are located in the midst of natural elements) - rivers, forests, deserts, mountain landscapes, etc. Nokturnal Mortum are one of the first bands I have heard whose music transcends the limits of such atmospheric locales in seeking to create a horizon effect of infinite evocation. Their music expands dynamically in the course of a listening to cover, define, and color entire vast regions of soundscapes or sound spaces.While listening to this album you are not reminded of specific eras of history or definite locales (and their corresponding visuals) as much as you are made to feel that you are witnessing events that are happening on a global scale. The sound is gigantic, varied, multi-layered, chaotic, and multi-textured, filling your head with the absorbed air of a dark realm that breeds, breathes, and lives (crying out in its agony) just beyond the range of your senses. It is not the direct presentation, again, of such an atmosphere, but rather a numbing succession of allusions to the fact of its existence. The result is catastrophic - this becomes the music of the infernal spheres, or rather the exhalation of a single blackened sphere that pulses with mystical powers of attraction. The only other atmosphere I could compare this effect to would be the utter silence of the night in uninhabited areas: the combination of subtle nocturnal stirrings, the caress of the wind, the muted whispering of tree branches, the enormous stillness of isolation that is translated in your senses to a recognizable (yet never realized other than as an abstraction) intense feeling. This group has six members (including two keyboard players) and they work together in a mutual search for the most elaborate and effective (emotionally, thematically) musical passages possible - never directly competing with each other when the greater good of the music (and the power of its evocative abilities) is called into question or at stake. While all the different elements of sound that make up their lengthy compositions are assembled and placed according to idiosyncratic methods of arrangement, you are almost immediately aware that everyone here is striving to create from the seething cauldron of musical creativity a unique sound that is not only clear and powerful in its impact but also a direct expression of their own convictions concerning the art of black metal. Once past the atmospheric elements, and after stripping this band down to the core of guitars, bass, and drums, you find at its heart a lethal killing machine that grinds away at the center of the maelstrom - sucking in poisoned bodies, eviscerating them and gnawing at the bones, and then burning them in a grisly funeral pyre where the ash and smoke of cremation drift upwards to form the outer layers of their sound. Swift tornado blasts of insane riffage are swirled in the center before being spat out to circulate higher beneath the keyboard heavens. The bass stomps and lashes, smothering in its fanatic wolverine rumbling, the drums become the apocalyptic sound of a forest falling tree by tree, crashing down to bury themselves deep in the dark earth. The vocals are inhuman cries of lust, rage, and pain, echoing through the sky like swift trumpet blasts of thunder, and then screaming downwards to disappear over the edge of the world. I have heard in a few circles that this band from Ukraine is now being hailed as the 'new Emperor', or as successors to the throne that the Norwegian band has decidely left behind, and I don't think I can find that many ways to dispute such a claim. These musicians are on an original path of their own making, and are creating new territories for other bands (lesser bands, you must admit) to explore with each song on this album. I wish them the best, and I hope that they do not forsake this path in the near future: there is still so much to be investigated, so many realms to be summoned, and so many worlds to create. U. Amtey From The End Records Mysterio Review by: shcherba Gnosis 'A more direct approach to a tale of darkness and terror' To The Gates Of Blasphemous Fire takes a more destructive and direct approach if compared to Goat Horns. Melodic Twists and harmonic layers of keyboards are still many, but there is less dabbling around in the creation of atmosphere, but faster more instantly recognisable compositions. This album is often compared with Dimmu Borgir, most importantly the synths on the third track, sounding like a sort of distant chant, but the immensity and aggressive terror leaves Dimmu for dead. Just look at the subtle keyboard movements and tambourine like sections that come in, bringing the beat forward in intensity and destructive intent. The mixture of folk and classical compositions, mixed with an intense amount of guitar and drum work, accompanied by rasped screaming vocals manages to sustain you with an immersed interest throughout the 50 or so minutes. What I've found with Nokturnal Mortum is that you can listen to the albums very often, for instance, I've listened to my Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir albums (other than For All Tid & Stormblast) possibly 2 times this year, and Nokturnal Mortum often twice a week. Every musical aspect of this album is fantastic, every instrument well played, and a strong mood sustained and advanced through moments of euphoric horror to ghastly sorrow. I still prefer Goat Horns as that album had a far more original feel to it, but with songs like 'Under the banner of the Horned Kniaz' (King) and the track that follows it, this is still a winner. The atmosphere sustained for so long is just amazing, from bird and creek sounds on 'Cheremosh' to sounds of battle featured on 'The Forgotten Ages of Victories', each element is perfectly placed and works so well with the brilliant music. Take the pagan drumming and flutes on 'Cheremosh', working with the guitar fuzz to bring you into a slow but melodic song structure, before gathering speed and slowing again with some grand acoustic guitar work. I urge anyone into symphonic black metal to check this out, and believe me, you'll be cursing any other bands in the genre by the next fullmoon. Reviewed by Sulphur Review by: shcherba Great album by my fave black metal band of all time.Varrgoth's vocals are incredible on this album and the drumming is awesome.Guitar riffs are interesting and the whole album has a very fast and majestic feel to it especially On The Moonlight Path (keyboards are excellent on this song)!!!10 stars Review by: Nokturnal_Sorg		Use the textarea below to write your review of this album. Please obey to these rules: - Write the review in ENGLISH! - Do not ask or offer mp3's - Reviews of 5 words or less are no reviews - Do not flame other reviewers. 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