Nightgaunt is a Spanish-American Black Metal band that unveiled their debut album, ‘Visitant’, in 2023 on vinyl via Inferna Profundus Records. At first glance, it might not seem like much, but the glowing praise on Bandcamp, and a few comparisons to Vothana, (a Black Metal band I already enjoy), made it an immediate must-listen for me. From the moment I pressed play on the opening track, I wasn’t disappointed.
The first song, ‘A Death, Released of Oppressive Life’, opens with a melancholic piano melody. It’s a solid introduction. But once the metal instrumentation bursts in, things truly come alive. The guitar riffs are unabashedly in the vein of Vothana, raw yet melodic, with an atmospheric ‘edge. While Vothana’s sound often leans toward the triumphant, Nightgaunt twists the formula into something more depressive and sorrowful, giving it a mournful character that I find compelling.
The drums, though largely repetitive with relentless blastbeats, complement the guitars perfectly, amplifying the raw atmosphere with their sheer force. The bass, though somewhat buried in the lo-fi production, locks in tightly with the guitar work and adds depth to the mix.
The opener is strong, but also the remaining three tracks hold their own. ‘Virulent Apparition of Melancholic Vestige’ stands out as my personal favorite, its more melodic and triumphant tone lending the album a fleeting sense of victory.
While the record clearly draws influence from both Vothana, Sanguine Relic and Lamp Of Murmuur, it still manages to bring a fresh perspective to that familiar style.
Vocally, the album is equally intense. Sanguinous Moth delivers harsh, abrasive shrieks, ugly in the best possible way, layered with gurgles and screeches that heighten the sense of agony. This tortured delivery fits the music perfectly. A prime example is the closer, ‘The Mark Bore by the Shadow Hunger’, where his anguished cries intertwine with the mournful riffs, reinforcing the album’s desolate atmosphere of sorrow and despair. At times, his deranged vocal presence even overshadows the instrumentation, adding a manic edge that feels disturbingly appropriate for the soundscape Nightgaunt has crafted.
‘Visitant’ is an absolute scorcher of contemporary raw Black Metal! It gets a well-deserved maximum score in my book, for its depressing yet innovative music. Fans of above-mentioned bands can acquire it blindly!
