Album Review: Noctivagum – De Arcanis et Ritibus Sulphuris
Band: Noctivagum
Album: De Arcanis et Ritibus Sulphuris
Label: As Pestis Records
Release date: January 14th, 2026
Country: Germany/Italy
Format reviewed: High-quality digital recording
Album Review: Noctivagum – De Arcanis et Ritibus Sulphuris via As Pestis Records by Ioana
It’s always an honour for me when an artist approaches me in order to review their work. So, when I was sent Noctivagum’s debut EP, De Arcanis et Ritibus Sulphuris, I was very much up for the challenge of diving into it and perhaps be able to put together at least a half coherent array of thoughts, as I typically do when writing reviews. Nothing new under the sun thus far. That being said, this particular piece of music ended up being a far greater mountain to climb than I initially suspected, and it undoubtedly left me with several uncertainties and an overall outlook that’s rather difficult to sum up. The main reason for that is that I have never, up until now, came across a record that caused me to have two radically different reactions at the same time.
Let’s start off with what I enjoyed most about this album, and that consists of the following elements: the visuals, the samples, and the overall composition and song structure. I was particularly impressed by the samples and acoustic moments because, especially on a debut release, those are the easiest to mess up or simply overuse. Noctivagum, however, managed to find the balance point where there is enough of them that it does wonders for the atmosphere and the extent to which the EP is immersive, without feeling like filler or overcrowding the songs. I recall having found myself humming along to the intro track right off of the first listen, as it seems I was pleasantly surprised by the acoustic segments in particular.
Onto the songwriting… The songs, excluding the intro and outro, all circle around the four minute mark, which is generally enough to ensure the proper development of the basic musical ideas brought forth, but no long enough so that there is room to elaborate. Frankly, I would argue that would’ve been unnecessary, given that we are talking about a raw, old school black metal EP. It is not trying to impress, its purpose is to make a point. The main musical components of the EP are the intense, blast-beat oriented drumming which is placed at the forefront of the music in the mix, along with the lead guitar riffs, which, along with their harshness, end up making great use of more melodic elements. This offers the music a spacious soundscape, which, once again, makes for an immersive listening experience.
All that being said, there were a couple of aspects of De Arcanis et Ritibus Sulphuriswhich left me raising eyebrows. The first of those is the production. Now, I am all for raw, chaotic, unpolished production. In a lot of cases I even prefer it to its cleaner counterparts, since black metal thrives on it, so to speak. But here, on this record, especially on the second track, “Ignis”, it is… questionable. The rhythm guitar is barely audible, almost completely drowned out by the fuzz, to the point where at times it leaves you wondering whether it is there first of all. The vocal performance also takes a while to get used to, and even though I can appreciate what it does for the atmosphere of the album, I still don’t feel like I can get behind it. The issue of the musical imbalance decreases as the EP progresses, but that second track left me with quite an unpleasant auditory aftertaste. For all reasons, it is the kind of album that belongs in the “Experienced listeners only!” category.
Overall, despite its flaws, De Arcanis et Ritibus Sulphurisis very much a solid debut, and given the potential of songwriting showcased by Noctivagum, I have no doubt that we will soon be seeing far greater things coming from this band. 7.5/10
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