Worldfall

As you may or may not be aware, a while back Nachtmystium intended to release a split with fellow USBM leaders Leviathan. However, Wrest's much-documented quarrels with his label put paid to the concept, leaving Nachtmystium somewhat in limbo having already recorded their side of the split. This was eventually released last year as the Worldfall EP. Although this was initially only available through iTunes and Century Media's online store, the good people at Candlelight Records have finally given this a full-scale release. Getting past that gorgeous crimson cover, is the music contained within actually worth bothering with? In a word: yes. The material on Worldfall is a little more obtuse than the path they'd go down with last year's Assassins: Black Meddle Part One, and I dare say it comes far closer to capturing the concept of “psychedelic black metal” far better than that album did (despite its brilliance). The opening track is a seething, swirling bad trip of a track, all sinister riffs, spaced-out keyboard tones, and one of the strangest guitar solos I've ever heard. If you thought Black Meddle was a great record, this blows it out of the water, with a more cerebral, more satisfying sound. It's all a lot dreamier, too, getting under your skin rather than smacking you over the head like Black Meddle did. Depravity swiftly follows suit, and it's a far angrier affair than the title track. It's quite a bit punchier and structured compared to the previous track's psychedelic wanderings, revolving around a venomous vocal hook from Blake Judd. This track is particularly interesting in retrospect, as it shows Nachtmystium moving into a more concise, more black n' roll style, while losing none of the thick, druggy haze that surrounds the EP. We follow this up with a re-recording of Solitary Voyage, from the Demise LP, and it's a more psychedelic take on the raw black metal of old. And so we move onto the covers, and it's here where Nachtmystium move into uncharted territory. Roseclouds Of Holocaust is a cover of the Death In June classic, and although it's the most straightforward track on offer here it's still great. The song is particularly notable for Judd utilizing largely clean vocals here, and they're certainly on par with Douglas P's performance on the original (admittedly, Douglas P has never been that great of a vocalist, but you know what I mean). Although upon closer examination the Death In June cover isn't all that surprising (Leviathan have been covering them for years), the final track, a take on IV by Goatsnake really is a left-field choice. Nachtmystium playing full-on stoner doom? Surprisingly, it works incredibly well, and it's a fun little closer to play us out. Worldfall has been rather maligned by some sectors of the black metal community, and I honestly can't understand why. Taking this on it's own terms, as a stop-gap release building up to Black Meddle, it's really quite something. It may not be as satisfying as a full album, but for those who want a taster of some of the best USBM about, Worldfall cannot be beat.