Nychts / Mortualia – “Nebelstern Des Nichts” (2010)

Featuring one monolithic track of 40 minutes of pure depressive (and ‘kozmik’) Black Metal, today we have Nychts and Mortualia’s split CD “Nebelstern Des Nichts”. Combining the two bands in a very unconventional way, Sun and Moon records has release this behemoth of emotional music that is not for the faint of heart.

Providing 13 minutes of music, we have Finland’s own Mortualia, a side project band from the one and only Shatraug of Horna, etc., etc. fame. The remaining 27 minutes of music (and instrumental section) is provided by Switzerland’s Nychts, a band that is excellent at creating atmosphere, but should get a better singer or replace him with a cat getting hit by a car.

For the first 18 minutes we are treated to a very trippy and especial blend of Black Metal with some samples and acoustic guitars unlike anything we have heard before. All of these elements are just brilliant, but the terrible ‘harsh’ vocals made us want to pull our hair out as soon as they come on. The ‘kozmik’ elements of the band’s sound are excellent and help create a very desolate and intense atmosphere. The distorted guitars are pretty solid and feature some nice riffs and melodic sections.

The three minute passage between the Nychts first part and the Mortualia part is also provided by Nychts, but it greatly adds to the atmosphere of the track. Unleashing the Mortualia monster around minute 21, the album quickly takes a turn into a more violent and nihilistic sound, but with that depressive and desolate sound that only Shatraug can create. The production of this section is very raw, but greatly adds to the overall depressiveness of the band’s sound. Pummeling through 13 minutes, Mortualia makes its mark with some truly eerie sections.

The closing seven minutes of the track, provided by Nychts again feature very emotional music that is plain brilliant, if the singing would stop. There is a clear difference between the production values of the sections presented by the two bands, having Mortualia sound more raw and vicious, and Nychts sounding considerably better and more dramatic. Something very interesting and contrasting that adds to the overall feeling of this monumental track and makes the sections easy to be distinguishable.

In general, we have to say that “Nebelstern Des Nichts” is an excellent release that has only one flaw (and if you read the review, you can easily tell which one was it). Both Mortualia and Nychts excel in creating thick and depressive atmospheres unlike any other bands. The aggressiveness of the band’s ‘Black Metal’ elements is very effective when contrasted with the atmosphere created. If you are looking for something that is truly unique and extremely atmospheric, look no further and order the lush A5 sized digipack version of this album.

Release: December 2010

Country: Switzerland / Finland