Noctum - The Seance
Move over Witchcraft, Graveyard and Burning Saviors, there is a new 70's doom rock band in town. The band in question is Noctum and while their sound seems to come as second nature to these Swedish bands, Noctum I think are the best yet at recreating a sound and the authentic vibe of the early 70's. Its not all old-school hippie rock worship though, Noctum have large doses of the N.W.O.B.H.M in their sound especially bands like Diamond Head and Witchfinder General. The 70's angle that they project so wonderfully well comes in the form of the style originally created by Black Widow, Coven, early Pentagram and of course Black Sabbath. There is a very progressive / psych rock edge to the songs on "The Senace" and they have the dusty old production to match the ancient approach to songwriting. While the songs do sound a bit too familiar at times, they do it with such finesse and class, its really hard to find any faults on this album. The vocals of guitarist David Indelöf are truly majestic in their melodic approach and he also dishes out some real mean heavy 70's doom riffing. To make things even more beefy, they have a second guitarist in Per Wikström along with a killer rhythm section in bassist Tobias Rosén (is this guy the new Geezer Butler or what?) and drummer Gustaf Heinemann.
Soon as the opening track (The Seance) unleashes its occult driven fantasy 70's Hard Rock vibe, you are instantly transported into another place and time. This is magical rock music, the sort of music that 40-somethings sat in their bedrooms as kids and listen to and idolized. The classic heavy monster riffing backed up by the rumbling bass lines, pounding drums and infectious melodies is magical stuff and the album only gets better from here on. Songs like "Fortune Teller" and "Mistress" are the kind of Heavy Rock tunes that people dreamed off making in the 70's but very few got close and if Noctum had existed in the early 70's, they would have been huge and easily on the same level as Sabbath, Purple, Zeppelin and Uriah Heep. The quality of the playing is top notch and its fully matched in the songwriting department, sure its been done before and you could argue its 40 years too late but you can't beat a timeless formula especially when its a formula that so few were able to duplicate.
The album centers around a very gloomy atmosphere of the 70's variety so you Funeral Doom fans may find it too hippie-ish but this is dark music played with a passion, technique and most importantly its a endless stream of killer riffs and unforgettable melodies. Listening to a track like "Insomnia" is a experience in itself, plug yourself into a decent set of headphones, stare at the album art and prepare your emotions to soar into the cosmos, its gloomy, dark but its also very up-lifting in parts and "Insomnia" is one of the albums best examples of the band's super-sensory musicianship. "The Senace" features one track sung in Swedish titled "Den Onda Trollpackan" but its hard to notice it among the spellbinding riffing and by the time "Lucifer's Way" kicks in you will be off in headbanging heaven, this tune is especially hammering in the bass playing and drumming. This is a album you don't want to end so when the final track titled "Children Of Darkness" comes to a halt, its a feeling of "now what can I play to top that?"
I could rant and rave about this album forever but I have to say if you are one of those that was getting bored with the retro-doom sounds of Witchcraft, Blood Ceremony flooding the trad-doom scene, its time for a new beginning as the new gods have risen and they are called Noctum, don't miss out on this one.
Soon as the opening track (The Seance) unleashes its occult driven fantasy 70's Hard Rock vibe, you are instantly transported into another place and time. This is magical rock music, the sort of music that 40-somethings sat in their bedrooms as kids and listen to and idolized. The classic heavy monster riffing backed up by the rumbling bass lines, pounding drums and infectious melodies is magical stuff and the album only gets better from here on. Songs like "Fortune Teller" and "Mistress" are the kind of Heavy Rock tunes that people dreamed off making in the 70's but very few got close and if Noctum had existed in the early 70's, they would have been huge and easily on the same level as Sabbath, Purple, Zeppelin and Uriah Heep. The quality of the playing is top notch and its fully matched in the songwriting department, sure its been done before and you could argue its 40 years too late but you can't beat a timeless formula especially when its a formula that so few were able to duplicate.
The album centers around a very gloomy atmosphere of the 70's variety so you Funeral Doom fans may find it too hippie-ish but this is dark music played with a passion, technique and most importantly its a endless stream of killer riffs and unforgettable melodies. Listening to a track like "Insomnia" is a experience in itself, plug yourself into a decent set of headphones, stare at the album art and prepare your emotions to soar into the cosmos, its gloomy, dark but its also very up-lifting in parts and "Insomnia" is one of the albums best examples of the band's super-sensory musicianship. "The Senace" features one track sung in Swedish titled "Den Onda Trollpackan" but its hard to notice it among the spellbinding riffing and by the time "Lucifer's Way" kicks in you will be off in headbanging heaven, this tune is especially hammering in the bass playing and drumming. This is a album you don't want to end so when the final track titled "Children Of Darkness" comes to a halt, its a feeling of "now what can I play to top that?"
I could rant and rave about this album forever but I have to say if you are one of those that was getting bored with the retro-doom sounds of Witchcraft, Blood Ceremony flooding the trad-doom scene, its time for a new beginning as the new gods have risen and they are called Noctum, don't miss out on this one.
1. The Seance
2. Fortune Teller
3. Insomnia
4. Den Onda Trollpacken
5. Mistress
6. Lucifers Way
7. Remain
8. Children Of Darkness
High Roller Records
Reviewer: Ed
Sep 22, 2010
Sep 22, 2010
Next review:
Procession - Destroyers Of The Faith
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