After the release of two demos and a split with fellow Finnish Daemonblut, Nocturnal Sorcery treats us with their debut album, ‘The Holy Law In Total Ruin’, brought to us by Kvlt. Even if you haven’t heard anything of their previously released material, adding the title to the horrid artwork, you’ll get quite an indicative hint of what to expect. They are not much of a peace loving band going into smoothly dreamscape-like Black Metal.
Though they are also using keyboards and opt for a certain moody atmosphere, the hate filled vocals are the most prominent in Nocturnal Sorcery’s music. The somewhat basic guitars, that are surprisingly shrill in sound, compliment the resentful vocals. But it is that melodic undertone that gives the music its thriving power, it is able to strike a balance in the overall musical offering. This way it is not only about one-dimensional hate with subordinate musical abilities, on the contrary, the riffs are well-crafted and with a strong melodic character. Yet, some songs are remarkably more basic and have a more rocking nature, which give the album a somewhat versatile and varied spirit. Musical comparison may be drawn to Satanic Warmaster and White Death, both Finnish acts that bear obvious resemblances to Norwegian Black Metal. But Nocturnal Sorcery has enough of an own identity to not stand too much in line with any of those two bands but the authentic sound gives ‘The Holy Law In Total Ruin’ a similar feel.
For now the album only received a CD release, but I would guess giving the album a full analogue treatment would be just a fitting choice. Although the album might not yet been released on your preferred physical format, you would do yourself a favour to give this album a listen if you are into the intricacies of the Finnish Black Metal scene.
