Nocte Obducta ventures into the depths.
Just over a year after their thirteenth album, Marcel (guitar/bass/keyboards/vocals, Kamera Obskur) Torsten (vocals, Agrypnie, Anomalie, Theotoxin), Stefan (guitar/vocals, Horresque), Heidig (bass, Blæck Fox) and Malte (drums, Aeos, Dahlian, Thurm), unveil their new EP, Hammergeddon 666 – Die Katakomben betritt man nicht allein.
Hammergeddon immediately sweeps us along in its flood of darkness, first with a frantic approach, then with more Old School and rhythmic tones, letting the rhythm change as we descend into darkness. Eventually the sound fades out, then Schorm blows up in our faces with all his fury, but the sound slows down and becomes oppressive before flaring up again to hand over to Blut Bier Dunkelheit, where the morbid Punk influences stand out. The raucous vocal parts make the track even heavier, using their unhealthy energy to fuel the unease as they lead us into Faustphisto, which starts at full speed before calming down a little, all the while sticking to sharp sounds. The drums can’t help but get carried away again, taking us back to hellish savagery as the guitars scream, but the riffs eventually sink into nothingness, leaving us alone for a good while before joining Auf wortlosen Fluren (Gemälde derer die schieden – Zeil 3). The guitars’ softness welcomes and bewitches us, almost reassuring us, before gradually intensifying to become oppressive again, returning to the vocals and then to the imposing keyboards, but also to other more experimental noises, bringing the EP to a close in total strangeness.
Despite offering some old-school, aggressive parts, Nocte Obducta remains committed to musical experimentation. Hammergeddon 666 – Die Katakomben betritt man nicht allein has several musical personalities, all born of darkness.
85/100