Nachtmystium – Silencing Machine album review

I have only reviewed one other black metal band before and I remember being rather lukewarm on the album. I’m not sure if it’s the genre of the actual bands themselves, but this output by Nachtmystium makes me think it’s more the genre, because behind my general dislike for the particular sound Nachtmystium’s latest effort, “Silencing Machine” is a tour-de-force of energy and technique that I believe is a must-own for all black metal fans. Although, I do admit I haven’t heard much beyond a few songs of the genre, I feel confident in that suggestion.

A great thing about this album is how quickly it gets moving. The first song is “Dawn Over the Ruins of Jerusalem” and the guitars and drums come roaring out along with front man Blake Judd’s deep and loud screams. Man, are they some loud screams, which is why I recommend not listening to this album with headphones on as my ears are still trying to recover. Now, if you only listen to one song on the album I have to recommend a song I actually liked, which is an eight minute epic titled, “The Lepers of Destitution”. I think the reason why I liked it was because while it had all the usual elements of a black metal song, it had this inviting, almost melancholic sound that really ups the ante on what a song of this genre can actually do. The only bad thing I can really say about the album is just how niche it truly becomes. I mean, if it was not for this assignment I would honestly not have listened to it, and now that I heard it, no matter how good it is, I am not going to listen to it again.

For those black metal fans this is a masterpiece. Pick it up and you will be listening to it over and over again and Nachtmystium will quickly grow into one of your favorite bands if they aren’t there already. “Silencing Machine” is a great album that deserves a broader audience and I think it’ll get it.