Style: melodic black metal
Primary Emotions/Themes: The evil that the night holds
Thoughts: There was once a band named Dissection. They created what would ultimately become the finest melodic black metal album ever created. Their reign came to a sudden and abrupt end however, leaving their crown unclaimed upon the throne. Who then would lay claim?
For many years I thought it was Thulcandra that had picked up the crown and sat upon the throne. After all their sound is a direct tribute to the melodic majesty of Dissection. Times do change however, and after listening to both Thulcandra and Ninkharsag I tend to lean more towards that latter as the true successor to Dissection's sound.
I mention Dissection so much in relation to this band because it truly sounds like this is the fourth Dissection album. The melodies used, the way that the drums are played and even produced in some manner all lean so heavily into the sound of the former band that the band hardly has it's own identity.
Now typically I would consider that a bad thing, but in this case it's a strong compliment. Not only does the band have the song writing capability of Dissection, but they also have the ability to create an entire album up to the quality of this legendary band.
The melodies cut through the air like a knife. The vocals shriek and howl as if in a deep seething pain. The drums are effective and compliment the music to near perfection. The interplay between the bass and the guitars is often enough intricate and has me eagerly listening to both in conjunction with each other. The whole album just works, and it's damn good on top of that.
Ninkharsag does not have a vast discography, but what they have is excellent. I will almost always default to Storm of the Lights Bane for this style of music, however that has shifted a tad with my introduction to this band and their outstanding music. Very curious to see where they go from here.
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