Order of Nosferat - Arrival of the Plague Bearer (2021)

Being huge fans of Black Metal with additional elements other than raw power, we are quite enthralled by Order of Nosferat and their latest release “Arrival of the Plague Bearer”. Unleashing over 50 minutes of vampiric BM, we get a wide variety of haunting piano interludes, dreamy atmospherics, and savagely raw BM, with all elements blending in perfect harmony. If you are looking for creepy and cinematic BM releases, this one will satisfy your thirst.

Starting with an atmospheric mood setting intro, the album title track transforms into a behemoth with blistering drums, inhuman screams and a turmoil of high powered distorted riffs. Alongside the violent core sound, the keyboards provide a nice melodic contrast in this piece. The album’s atmosphere is greatly enhanced by instrumental tracks like “Sleepless in Sorrow and Bloodthirst”, “The Castle of Haunting Silence”, “Lost in the Crypts of my Need for Affection”, “As She Fades in Lamenting Winds”, and “Dance of the Wallachian Winter Spirits” which create a very spooky and solemn backdrop to the aggressive pieces.

The rawness and brutality of “Followed Path of the Carpathian Blood Wolves” and “Fear the Unchained Ghoul” is very well executed delivering tons of masterful headbanging passages and an underlying melodic component that works brilliantly with the theme of the album. Not all tracks are created equally, showcasing the band’s dynamic sound as pieces like “Beyond Pitch Black Woodlands” retain the core elements while sounding a bit different, breaking up any potential monotony that some might perceive.

Our favorite track has to be the crushing “A Trail of Living Coffins” and it's very powerful vocal lines paired with funky tempo changes and more haunting atmospherics. As a whole, “Arrival of the Plague Bearer” is one hell of an engaging release, outputted by a highly talented duo that features members of bands like Sarkrista and Slagmark. Perfectly blending brutality with atmosphere and melody, this release is chilling from both a Black Metal and a cinematic perspective.

Label: Purity Through Fire

Release: June 7th, 2021

Genre: Black Metal

Country: International