NocturN is a black metal band from Timisoara, Romania. They started as Black metal as possible, only to start playing around with different type of metal influents. Release in November 2018 the album is the first product of the complete band. Dead Architect and Malphas are the first members of the band, followed by Seer and Kroll who joined in 2013. Thrones of Deception is the second album release, the first one being in 2006,” Death Scent”. “Thrones of Deception” is a riot. You can easily taste black metal elements, Heavy metal guitar riffs and Doom-ish, gloomy breakdowns. The mix of elements is so well-done it is hard to predict them. Every song is a new experience and an amazing journey. This is my kind of album. Experimenting with different genres only to create a well-balance sound. Yes, please!
The album has 10 songs:
1.Hell;
2.Thrones of Deception;
3.Sleeping Sickness;
4.Lustful and Dead;
5.The Skin is Blue;
6.Memento;
7.Human Harvest;
8.Poison Injection;
9.Fire from the Sky;
10.The Last Flick;
The first track is an almost 2 minutes long intro, which sounds like noise pulsating, it gives you the chills and gets you in the mood for some epic darkness. After the odd intro starts “Thrones of Deception”, strong and vile, its energic sounds combines repetitive Black metal guitar riffs with subtle drums. The drums take their revenge at the end of the song when they start strong and descend into a gloomy, small atmospheric break, only to end in an army like beat. “Sleeping Sickness” picks up where the previous song left, fast tempo, repetitive, a very powerful song, make for headbanging. The small break at min 1, an evil laughter only to explode with black metal vocals. Another break in the song brings a mystical sound, totally unexpected, followed by 20 seconds of evil guitars that mark the ending of the song. “I am Lustful and Dead”- the next song is marked by distorts guitar, a nice breakdown with an almost reciting voice. Creepy screams appear when the fast tempos return, we have even a clearly Heavy metal guitar solo. Black metal shallow screams, fills the song only to decay into a weird almost Cradle of Filth vibe. The long screams are horrent, a terrifying ending. “Memento” it is a very weird song, combines let’s say classic Black metal and the newer voices of the genre. While listening this song I got the amazing thought that this how a masterpiece done by Mgla, Marduk and Dimmu would sound like. Yet, I feel a strong Dissection influence. The band clearly knows where to search when in need of inspiration. The final song of the album, ‘’ The Last Flick”, peculiar by nature fits more the idea of DSBM than anything else. Perfect for ending such a complex album. Everything goes morbidly soft at the ending. A bit let down by the length of the album, it is way too short. I am not sure If this was a method used by the band to keep the songs challenging and fresh but 3 minutes long songs are a bit sad, maybe the reason why I’ve enjoyed the last song most, which was 6 minutes long. The dynamic mix of elements makes every song to feel like there is more to come, and leaves you with a bit of disappointment when you discover it’s over.
