Noctiferia, like Laibach, are from Slovenia, which the bandmembers describe as a "not priority market" country. Like Laibach, they are politically engaged, but this manifests itself not in edgy costumed satire that pokes fascism through an ultra-earnest, stone-faced embrace of fascist aesthetics, but through fairly standard downtuned thrash metal. This record's distorted, ultra-compressed guitars and pummeling drums will be familiar to anyone who's already a fan of Hypocrisy (that band's leader, Peter Tägtgren, produced the record), Strapping Young Lad, or Slipknot ("Monarch" sounds like an outtake from Iowa). They've got enthusiasm on their side, and a few songs here have a nice industrial rock tinge in addition to the nü-death metal that's the core of their sound, and there are some cool, weird guitar solos, but this isn't the kind of record that's gonna inspire wild enthusiasm or make anyone call Noctiferia their favorite band ever. It's just a fairly enjoyable, brutal yet catchy metal album, no more and no less.
© Phil Freeman /TiVo
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