About.com Rating

The Bottom Line

Atmospheric black metal from the USA.



Pros

• Cold yet melodic black metal.

Cons

• Songs are hit and miss.

Description

• Released in North America May 30, 2006 on Battle Kommand/Southern Lord.
• The album was mastered by Scott Hull (Pig Destroyer).
• The album was also released on vinyl.

Guide Review - Nachtmystium - Instinct: Decay

This album has some really strong black metal songs. Nachtmystium's best tracks are cold and forbidding while still having a sense of melody.


Unfortunately there are several songs that aren't up to that level and are simply filler or experiments that didn't work.

My favorite song on the album is "Chosen By No One," a seven minute epic that has a black metal atmosphere but inserts some thrash riffs that sound really good. There are several other songs that hold your interest with a great combination of atmospheric darkness and memorable melodies. The vocals on the entire album are buried deep in the mix, but that's not unusual for this genre.

Nachtmystium are an up and coming U.S. black metal band who demonstrate a lot of talent and potential, but need to sustain it for an entire album.