Like it comes it goes. Slow and shaky. Quiet and calmed. Sad and at times even sadder. Never mad nor bitter. Nor enraged or blasphemous, Nacht are in it to paint a bleak picture and bleakness in their world has no need for cheap shots, like you know shrieks, buzzsaw guitars and blast beats. Listening to The Cold Eerie Moon with full attention is easy to get the picture, the idea, the feeling, is all monochromatic and cold. A respectable way of a chant to the night and to the elements.
Regardless of the obvious idea of offering one long track as a whole (this German duo is taking along for the ride), The Cold Eerie Moon is divided in two parts. The first one starts off with sweeping wind and bells. By the time the music starts it is obvious that there won’t be much violence in here. The guitars are gentle and the drums well-paced. There is an element of orchestration, an organ that plays the astral part. It’s all nice and surprisingly tuneful, if only musically, at least as austere as its ideas and landscapes. There is also something Germanic about the voices. Initially spoken they recall certain 80’s gothic elements. Naturally, eventually ghostly and painful as every other, what surprises the most is that Nacht prefer to keep it under control.
As a whole, this debut has two identical sides, which makes it puzzling and a bit of a wasted opportunity at the same time. For the first half of this one track EP, German duo Nacht slowly creep up to a simmer and then they let it die. For the second half, it’s pretty much the same story all over again. In the middle, a cold ambient section takes hold. Creepy cello in tow Nacht offers a very focused piece.
It is humble work though. The stripped down nature of their metal is evidence. The downplaying of the instrumentation is just a confirmation. The effectiveness of their ambient is righteous and that hints at so much potential, especially when it is orderly mixed with thought-out black metal. But one wonders why didn’t Nacht try to get a few bolder ideas across? They certainly should have.
Dunkelheit Website
Written by Bobby Peru
