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Nox Vorago: Obsidian stonemirrors

18/02/13 || Ironpants

Epicus Grandicus Metallicus.

Well, I have seen this band name flying around in the gossip lane on the old internet, catching a good word here and there so I had to check ´em out. Nox Vorago are called upon as “symphonic death metal” and that should basically mean that they have a keyboardist that is more active than normal?

These guys slither around in slower regions, gorging in some kind of grandiose blackened death metal. Of course there are faster parts that accentuates their vision of darkness, but this one transports itself mostly at mid-pace speed. We will get to my thoughts about that in the end.

What goes for the album then? Well, after the first 2-3 times listening to it, I was hooked, and thought it was really fresh, as they bring some new stuff to the table. And I can’t say that there is another band that really sounds like this, and that’s an accomplishment in itself these days. Of course there are hints of influences from different bands and styles, but nothing that really strikes you in the face.

This is a six piece outfit, so there is a lot that has to fit in the sound picture.
And here´s the catch with the ”symphonic” part of their description. The keyboards take a little to much place in the songs, both in the mix and the overall performance. Of course if you have a keyboard player, you want to keep that bastard earning his money with hard work, but the approach could have been a bit different. This guy is up there with the guitars and providing constant use of choirs, bells, flutes, chimes, cats, frogs and whatnot. I´m not saying he´s a bad musician, but it is just a tad to much here and there. I prefer my black salad served with a little less dressing and more meaty base ingredients so to speak.

Nox Vorago has a real shining star, and that is singer ”Uduun”, he is gifted with a voice that stands out as much as Ron Jeremy would in a platoon of eunuchs. It comes in two modes, evil growling roar and a more blackish snarl. Both are awesome and adds a fair amount of horsepower to the show.

What are my final thoughts here then? Well, you’ve seen me bitchin’ about the keyboards, and also hinting shit about the total sound picture. And yes, what about the mid-paced tempo? It feels like it never really takes off properly, just hovering a couple of feet above the ground. Almost like taking your muscle car out of the garage, start the engine, let the engine roar and then burn some rubber on the driveway. After that, you leave it with the engine on and go inside for a coffee without going somewhere.

But guess what! These guys are on to something, and by the end of the day, there is still a lot of stuff that appeals to me here. I am certain that they will earn a group of followers, just because of the fact that they are presenting something new and fresh to the scene. I am already curious about the next step for this band and if you are into epic black metal/death metal in general you will find several reasons to spin this sucker over and over again while pleasuring yourself.

7,5

Information
Released: 2012
Label: Self-released
Website: www.noxvorago.com
Band
Uduun: vocals
Tommy Mattsson: guitars
Anders Lundvall: guitars
Robin Kullberg: bass
Robert Isojärvi: drums
Magnus Andersson: keyboards

Tracklist
01. Voidshrines
02. Figurines
03. I
04. Vimana
05. Fleshcloth
06. Obsidian stonemirrors
07. II
08. The plateau of unincarnation
09. Ad cinereo

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