Nightbringer – Apocalypse Sun
Yet another band fueled by a theologically advanced conceptual descent into the dark arts both musically and lyrically. If one were to try and peg Nightbringers sound and overall style, I would say it were a bastardization of the Watain meets Deathspell Omega’s (newer) take on dense musical foundations, though less melodic than Watain, and less technically convoluted than Deathspell. To their credit, Nightbringer defy geographical classifications, which allows this band to have a very non USBM, or anywhere for that matter, sound. The gapless bleedthrough (was it there? Or was I spacing out?) of the first 3 tracks ends up being a rather tiring offensive of wandering chord structures and even more bizarre tremolo picked “harmonies” that buzz along on higher register notes. Nothing sounds overly complex singularly, but these simple lines all seamlessly combine to form a wash of uniqueness that is interesting to behold. But, the absence of melodies that make sense to me, makes “Apocalypse Sun” a bit alien to the senses (Especially on the nightmarish track “Upturning the Seventh Chalice”) and hard to fully embrace. To keep the guitars clean, the drums sound almost completely synthetic which does suck the life out of this recording. Some of the room ambience periodically returns in the form of atmospheric synth and soundscapes that intermingle with the waves of guitar lines. The harsh vocals act as the anchor to return to should your mind drift off into the quagmire of sound/attack as many of these tracks sound as if they don’t adhere to any set structure, rather drifting off into a linear outpouring of conscience. I’m sure this was the intention of the music and the album, and for creating a very dreamlike state within the listener, it achieves this and more. But for a casual listen, the material comes off as being very pretentious. Having said that, keep this one off the car stereo, or from playing in the background while executing other tasks. “Apocalypse Sun”…if you’re going to get it… feel the full effect, and ultimately enjoy this body of work, you need to be an active participant. Go ahead and invest an hour of your time in front of the stereo to experience something a bit more advanced than executed by your typical BM bedroom warrior. Definitely an album designed to grow on you over time and deeper inspection.
Ajna
Worm Gear 