By Andrew Bansal
Swedish doom rock band Noctum released their second full-length album ‘Final Sacrifice’ earlier this year via Metal Blade Records. Following the 2010 debut ‘The Seance’, the band took their time to write and record this new material, and the result is a much more focussed, better-written set of tunes that showcase their talents to a greater extent. Unlike other bands that are riding the wave of occult-themed rock through cheesy lyrical themes, corny song titles and silly visual gimmicks, Noctum have stayed focussed on the music and have expressed the occultism in a more understated manner. Guitarist/vocalist David Indelöf’s compellingly dreamy singing voice takes the listener’s mind into a different world while his combination with Daniel Johansson on the guitars forms the core strength of the album. With excellent riffs and solos in tunes like ‘Conflagration’, ‘Liberty In Death’ and ‘Resurrected In Evil’, the album’s start is stellar and with every tune offering something that sticks in memory long after the listening session, Final Sacrifice is golden from beginning to end. The rhythm section of Tobias Rosén on bass and Fredrik Jansson on drums complements the lead segments brilliantly and is well-highlighted by the crystal clear production. A lot of people might compare Noctum to the band Ghost, but in all honesty, Noctum’s ‘Final Sacrifice’ is a thousandfold more listenable, enjoyable and repeat-worthy than anything Ghost has ever done or will do. For lovers and explorers of occult rock, this is a must-have.
Track Listing:
1. Conflagration
2. Liberty in Death
3. Resurrected in Evil
4. Deadly Connection
5. Void of Emptiness
6. The Revisit
7. A Burning Will
8. Temple of the Living Dead
9. Azoth
Duration: 46.7 minutes
Visit Noctum on the web:
NoctumOfficial.com
facebook.com/NoctumOfficial
The countdown so far …
#50. Nails – Abandon All Life
#49. American Sharks – Self-Titled
#48. Hatebreed – The Divinity Of Purpose
#47. Helen Money – Arriving Angels
#46. Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats – Mind Control
#45. Ihsahn – Das Seelenbrechen
#44. Church Of Misery – Thy Kingdom Scum
#43. Wolvserpent – Perigaea Antahkarana
#42 . Djinn And Miskatonic – Forever In The Realm
#41. Czar – No One Is Alone If No One Is Alive
#40. Against The Grain – Surrounded By Snakes
#39. Nekrofilth – Devil’s Breath
#38. Kylesa – Ultraviolet
#37. The Devil’s Blood – III: Tabula Rasa or Death and the Seven Pillars
#36. Kadavar – Abra Kadavar
#35. Purson – The Circle And The Blue Door
#34. Carousel – Jeweler’s Daughter
#33. Kvelertak – Meir
#32. SpiralArms – Freedom
#31. Satan – Life Sentence
#30. Exhumed – Necrocracy
#29. Havok – Unnatural Selection
#28. Mothership – Self-Titled
#27. UDO – Steelhammer
#26. Ramming Speed – Doomed To Destroy, Destined To Die
#25. Revocation – Self-Titled
#24. Gorguts – Colored Sands
#23. Kobra And The Lotus – Self-Titled
#22. Toxic Holocaust – Chemistry Of Consciousness
#21. Saxon – Sacrifice
#20. Noctum – Final Sacrifice
Check out #19 here.