After a couple demos Brazilian Black Metal band Nocturnal Terror self-released their debut album in October of 2023 and for those who heard these first recordings know that the band stands for a very primal Speed Metal infused sort of Black Metal. It does not only resemble the very originators of the genre, with covering ‘Angel Dust’ on the full-length Nocturnal Terror gives more than a friendly nod to Venom. Now the band returns with a new 5-track EP that clocks in just over 13 minutes and offers another exercise in total regressive and primeval Black Metal.
It is especially the third track of this EP, ‘Reaper’, a Bathory cover, that symbolizes the mood. It brings you back to the early Punk-driven steps of the Black Metal genre. The music definitely have Venom, Hellhammer and Bathory written all over it, but for sure it also has a distinct Nunslaughter vibe to it. Of course it is always a matter of taste and personal frame of reference as to what exactly you get out of music, yet whatever you feel or hear in these simple yet up-tempo songs of ‘Blasphemous Crushing Of Angel’ it is the authenticity that binds all these opinions.
It is that same authenticity that also bind the tracks together. I am quite sure that not all of these tracks were recorded in the same session as there are some obvious differences in sound and appearance. Take the last song for instance, that sounds darker and even a bit more raw then the rest. It might be a deliberate choice, but for some reason it adds to the underground feel and it definitely reminds me on the many demo and rehearsal tapes of long forgotten bands that I heard around the turn of the millennium: the uglier and the discordant the better. That was what it was all about.
So, if you are looking out for something to get your “real” Old School kicks out of, Nocturnal Terror could be considered as your next stop. To me personally it is always a great thing to come across a recording like this, it proves you don’t need any finesse and there certainly is no need to reinvent any wheels.
