Nyktmyst – Nyktmyst
Band: Nyktmyst
Album: Nyktmyst
Label: Iron Bonehead Productions
Release date: March 21st, 2025
Country: The Netherlands
Format reviewed: High quality digital recording
As much as I enjoy more or less every style of black metal, there’s no doubt that I prefer the harsh, cold one with its heart in misanthropy. Well, Nyktmyst’s debut EP proves to be just that. From the moment I heard the first riff, I had no doubt this was going to be something that I would love everything about it. And what a great surprise it was. After the goldmine of music last year was, I was a little skeptic whether I could find anything now that would hold up to that standard, but I’m more than happy to admit I’ve been wrong. What got me to change my mind? This album right here.
The album starts out with the bleak, yet violent “ O Viandante”. A short piano melody is cut off by stormy guitars, powerful drumming an a vocal performance that simultaneously resembles the howls of a wolf and the groans of the earth. The composition is undoubtedly dynamic, incorporating various tempo changes, which are balanced out by the hateful, almost sorrowful atmosphere. The whole song exudes both the burning heat of wrath and the eerie cold of solitude. Out of the blue, the torrent is cut off by an acoustic interlude, that, although gentle, is brewing with the tension of the music before it, which, expectedly, rips through the soft chords with a lead moment, sharp as the edge of a knife slashing through the fabric of existence. Everything settles back on its course, as exemplified by the choir-like vocal moment, where the howls are doubled by epic bouts of clean singing. By the time the ending rolls around, the floodgates have not only been opened, but crushed entirely.
In a counterintuitive manner, the storm dwindles into an interlude simply titled “Acoustic”, a one and a half minute worth of calm, gentle guitar melodies that carry a sense of peace, and even wonder, like some sort of dream in a sea of ghouls and phantasms. I usually don’t enjoy interludes with this kind of placement and sudden mood change, but given its context, this one just feels… right, not forced, not added in as a filler. It echoes the acoustic passage of its predecessor, coming off as some sort of old, almost forgotten memory. It’s almost scary how something seemingly so simple and gentle can create such sensations and carry such meaning.
The stream of wonderous terror continues with “Noctivagant”. If “O Viandante” was the storm, this is the thick fog that lays over the hills on November nights. It is the sound of the wild, unbound wind roaming the endless mists through the branches of the dead trees. An incredibly accurate depiction of solitude and the loneliness that accompanies it, depiction which resonated with me on a profound level. The hypnotic riffs and the pulsing drum beat, bring about a tranquil atmosphere that somehow oozes stillness and a slight sensation of dread, particularly in that sequence when the drumming suddenly stops and all that is left is a strange dissonant riff echoing through the emptiness. Soon after that, the stream flows into melancholy and sorrow once again. The vocal performance is incredibly heartfelt here, capturing the essence of the song perfectly. And the solo is the cherry on top. Listening to “Noctivangant” brought me back memories from one late evening walk along the riverside in my town, the whole place being shrouded in this icy cold fog. Truly an unforgettable sensation that I thought couldn’t be replicated.
Mirroring “Acoustic”, “Via Nokturna” is yet another interlude, this time, however on piano instead of acoustic guitar. And once again, as it was the case before, I have no complaints about it, I was pleasantly surprised by the technicality of the piano work, and the growing tension it included. Moments such as these serve as a testament to the artistry of the musician, and the lengths one will go to in order to maintain and develop a specific atmosphere or sound. Although highly anticipative, “Via Nokturna” leaves the listener contemplating all they’ve heard so far, giving them time to properly take in and process all the musical ideas and elements, while simultaneously preparing them for the grand finale.
Damn… “Portal Tomb” is, simply put, the perfect ending for this record. It is the culmination of everything that has been built throughout the rest of the songs, with an additional sprinkle of grandeur and misanthropy. The slow parts are so engaging, making the faster moments truly feel otherworldy. It’s filled to the bring with the sensation of epicness that can only come from such a musical experience, or, in a completely different scenario, from the sublime aspects of the natural world. I made plenty of parallels with nature and natural fenomena throughout this review, but I can assure you that even at a first listen you will definitely see where I’m coming from with it, and this track right here proves it. At times it feels like falling asleep on the forest floor, with the moon rays gently falling onto the ground around you. Towards the end, everything slowly fades into an acoustic riff, leaving the listener to deal with the deafening silence that follows.
I haven’t had an album touch me like this for a while, and to be honest, I didn’t expect to get overwhelmed by the music the way I did. But it left me in this strange state of longing for something long lost, like a reverie fading into the bleakness of life. I will definitely be going back to this album, and Nyktmyst is a project which, in my opinion, is set on the path to create some incredible music. 10/10 by Ioana
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10/10 Immortal Classic
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