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Nachtmystium are, apparently, one of the shining lights of the US Black Metal scene. However, despite being a huge fan of black metal I have only just started listening to the US scene. Therefore, this is my first foray into the world of Nachtmystium and I have to say its really not what I expected at all!
Addicts: Black Meddle Part II is Nachtmystium's fifth full-length studio album and follows on from the previous album, Assassins: Black Meddle Part I. The album titles for both these albums seem to be a play on Pink Floyd's 1972 album Meddle, indeed the influence of the progressive rock megastars is plain to hear.
The black metal elements in this album are few and far between. The sound is raw, the vocals are harsh yet generally decipherable and yet the album is more of an exercise in extreme metal psychedelia. Indeed, what few black metal parts are in this album seem to be a mild form of the genre and, to be honest, this is a good move as anything more harsh would be at odds with the progressive sections, keyboards etc.
Now, this fusion of extreme metal and progressive rock can work very well. Nokturnal Mortum's last album The Voice Of Steel is one such album where black metal was blended almost perfectly with Floyd-style guitar solos and so on. Addicts doesn't quite reach those heights, but is still a worthy album full of songs which work well together and compliment each other. No doubt the purists will be pissed off, but then, aren't black metal purists supposed to be pissed off?
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