CoC : Nigrescent - Palace of the Dark Light : Review

Nigrescent - _Palace of the Dark Light_
(Blackthrone Productions, 2002)
by: Quentin Kalis (7 out of 10)

This is a perfect release for those with a longing for the black metal of old. _PotDL_ is composed of bursts of aggressive, unforgiving and hate filled black metal with a few haunting Burzum-like ambient interludes. As befits an album of this nature, it is of course under-produced, though the production is noticeably shriller then most other black metal albums. The songs are unusually short, most struggling to reach the 3 1/2 minute mark. This works to Nigrescent's advantage as the brevity of the songs magnifies their aggressive nature. The aforementioned ambient pieces are simplistic and an entire album composed of such music could quickly grow tired. However within the context of this album, they are highly effective, providing a perfect counterpoint to the album's harsher moments. The vocals in particular are ear-splittingly harsh sounding and are of such a nature that I remain sceptical about them emanating from a human throat. An album of this nature is unlikely to court favour with the Cradle of Filth crowd but those with more underground tastes will not be disappointed.

Contact: njd@totaldarkness.co.uk

(article published 31/3/2003)