It’s been a long, troubled road for Black Metal bad boy Blake Judd but he is finally back with some new Nachtmystium that’s as much an evolution of the band as it is a celebration of their triumphant return. Resilient is the name of the new EP and also a fitting description of Nachtmystium and after a quick instrumental, we’re off an running as an anguished cry heralds the coming of the title track which follows.
Centered around the more gothic tones (Damn! Those synths!) of Addicts Black Meddle Pt II and The World We Left Behind amidst bestial drumming and Judd’s declarations of returning from hell, the tune twists and turns before becoming this whole other unholy beast. It’s like nothing Blake Judd has attempted before with Nachtmystium and the results are fucking brilliant as he utters haunting phrases such as “Too selfish to die” with a brand new clarity.
If you hate change, then the decidedly more “Nachtmystium-sounding” “Silver Lanterns” is where you should head to but even this is littered with experimentation so, frankly, if you really do hate change then go elsewhere especially when Judd himself is heard recounting a near death experience between the brutality and screams of “Fear/Rage/Emptiness/Silence/Darkness”!
“Desert Illumination” is 21st Century Nachtmystium incarnate: driving and heavy, all the while soaked in psychedelia and experimentation and a definitive declaration that Nachtmystium is back. Make no mistake about that! And after Resilient‘s final chords ring out at the conclusion of this track, listeners will be yearning for more. Make no mistake about that either!
Resilient is out through Prophecy Productions on November 30th. Pre-order options are up now by clicking here and here. For more on Nachtmystium, stay tuned here for the most up-to-date info.