The year, 2017… this was the year that brought me into the realm of Nokturnal Mortum. I remember with the first track off their Істина/ Verity album, how much I fell so hard in love with Varggoth’s forceful, yet very passionate and beautiful vocals, as well as the very intricate style of the music. So many years had passed by with me unknowing of this ever most endearing, and captivating band. From their first demo released in 1995, to me only then hearing of them in 2017, brought forth such an intense whirlwind of emotions. To be completely honest, folk black metal rarely is even on my radar, as it’s not really (usually) the style of black metal I even listen to. Selvans comes to mind, as they are (to me) the exception to the rule; as that band is truly gifted, far beyond any means of measurement. And, then you have these guys… Nokturnal Mortum… a band with their music so powerful… so powerful, that upon listening to any album of theirs, especially with Істина/ Verity, and then this album right here До Лунарної Поезії / To Lunar Poetry… well, it doesn’t take long for the emotions to hit pretty hard; and oh they do, right from the very start…
“Зимні сни” is an alluring, wintry instrumental piece, that forms a gateway that leads into “Лунарна поезія”. The chilling screams of Varggoth, coupled with Bairoth’s intensified drumming, brings forth a massive snowstorm of immaculate intensity that overtakes you with its power; that will last you throughout the duration of the rest of the album. A sense of immense coldness pummels over you, with glacial force, from the intensified riffage of both Varggoth and Wortherax! So much complexity in a song so enrichingly beautiful. The mix from the keyboards of Varggoth and Surm brings extensively an additional sense of frigidness. And, again… that forced-passionate singing from Varggoth… Goddamn, intense epicness you can feel, that crushes you from within. A very prominent, devastating crush.
“Перунове Срібло Небес” carries with it an excessive, harrowing tone, right from the very start. A tin whistle played so beautifully by session musician “Burz” gives off an intense chill, making you feel like you’re in a snow covered forestland. Simply amazing, this feeling, as he plays it so perfectly. Within mere seconds, that “harrowing tone” blends within the endarkend, haunting resonance of the keyboards. This precise blend is pure magic. And then the drums hit with a timely pace, integrating with excessively sharp, icy riffs. Absolute, symphonic bliss! Varggoth, and the way he screams in certain parts of this song, legitimately brings tears to my eyes. Goddamn it, his singing is just so impassioned, so delightful. His singing is quite unlike anyone else’s. The atmosphere slows down just a bit towards the middle of the track, highlighting deep, fervent, mystical chanting. The forcefulness of Varggoth’s vocals radiates monumental perfection. So much more complexity of everything towards the end of this song. But, I must highlight Varggoth’s vocals here, between the times of (11:48 to 12:32, of the album)… we’re just on the third track of the album, and already am an emotional mess; fuck I’m crying. That forced style of passion… I absolutely adore that kind of singing. Sometimes I feel I don’t hear that often enough. But, here on this album, Varggoth delivers just that, all throughout. His style of singing is assuredly in a class, all its own. Without a doubt, this song is my absolute favorite off the album.
The magnum opus of До Лунарної Поезії, “Вампірів Князь Прийшов” clocks in just shy of eleven minutes. This song, in its entirety, brings me to tears all throughout. Varggoth’s intense screams on this one, pretty much destroys whatever was left of my emotions. A few seconds of an icy windchill from the start leads into such a rhythmic profusion of riffs. Those screams… that vehement, extreme passion of those screams gives off such a crushing wintriness. The drumming is unrelenting fast on this one. And, again with the riffs… so much profound melody. Every single thing on this track blends together so magically, so perfectly. And, that tin flute… so prominent in parts. “Вампірів Князь Прийшов” is a perfect song. A blissfully glorious song, as it’s one I keep on repeating over and over, never seeming to get enough of.
You know, До Лунарної Поезії… this album, I feel I could write so much more about… not just with every song on here, but as well as the album as a whole. It is worth infinite repeats, as it’s really hard to get set fulfillment from just one listen, two… or, even three, or so many more after that. Now, I thought that nothing by Nokturnal Mortum, whether past or present could ever surpass their 2017 masterpiece, Істина / Verity. But, then I hear this… you think you’ve heard their demo from 1996, Lunar Poetry… not at all trying to sideline that one; but this album here, I think it just now passed Істина, as well as superseded by miles their original demo! Really! I’m not even remotely kidding here.
Since it is quite obvious I did not write about every song on here (that would really be an overwhelming review, I’m sure!), every artist (whether in the band directly, or session) I feel needs to be included in my review, as there is truly so much more to this album, than I have given full attention to. Session artists lending their massive talents to До Лунарної Поезії are, Sataroth (vocals), Kubrakh (drums), Ivan “Burz” Kozakevych (not just with using the tin whistle as mentioned prior in my review, but also lends his skillful use of the sopilka, as well as the jaw harp). The album as a whole has hefty weight to it, and it’s honestly not all too often that I can hear bass in anything, music-related. But, Karpath executes his style flawlessly, through the album’s entirety.
До Лунарної Поезії is undoubtedly an epic, F5 tornadic masterpiece! A cold, haunting, evocative odyssey all throughout. I can only hope that my review will do this album at least some sort of justice, as (to me) this is the most epic album they’ve ever done.
Score: 100 / 100
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