Greek black metal may have played second fiddle to some of its Nordic counterparts over the years but there is no doubt these days it has proved itself to be as vibrant as any other country. Zemial – a brilliant case in point – could be in parts a black metal band, a traditional metal band, prog, even an art project judging by what has been produced here. Zemial’s roots stretch back to the dawn of the Greek black metal scene. Back in the day, founder and main man Archon Vorskaath helped make some of the most sought after underground releases – including the likes of Agatus’ Dawn of Martyrdom and Varathron’s His Majesty At The Swamp.
In fact that is not a bad place to start. Nykta may be bursting with influences but the cradle is its back in the early 1990s Hellenic black metal scene with those catchy, mid-paced gothic riffs. But the overall feel of the album is as much in the unpredictable 1980s approach when part of the thrill was that anything seemed possible from metal and atmosphere could be created without recourse to keyboards and rooms full of technology. Zemial takes us on a journey through a vast range of influences from the unpolished, full-on blackened thrash of Venom, the quirkiness of Sabbat and the lyrical rhythm of Bal-Sagoth, all the way to Manilla Road and Pink Floyd.
It is a rewarding experience; even more so than the bands last full-length, 2006’s In Monumentum. Nykta is less rough cut and underground and a bit less black. But replacing that with a restless adventurousness that sometimes threatens to burst out its own skin and but then all falls into place perfectly with casual ease. The first extended taste of the prog rock elements come in the 11 minute, mind-blowing opus In The Arms of Hades (the album’s undoubted centrepiece which appeared in an abbreviated form on the band’s Dusk EP two years ago) and, while I’m not exactly a prog fan in any shape or form, I would happily let that particular track go on and on. Very cool and a nice centre piece for the album showing off a good few of various influences listed above.
Whereas many albums that land in my sweaty palms these days are taking things on incrementally at best – and that’s if we’re being kind – I can honestly say I have never really heard anything like Nykta. The second centre piece of the album Pharos again pulls in various influences but is much more prog-based following as it does a 5 minute ‘intro’ that would not have gone a miss on many a 1970s prog masterpiece. If you are into any of the aforementioned bands and are not completely lost in this 15 minute outro-style epic by the time it winds up (and wondering why Zemial couldn’t have come up with a double album) then you are truly a lost cause.
On the one hand I could almost see Nykta being dismissed too disjointed and it does sail dangerously close to being so at times. But at the same time that is part of the albums slightly rough charm and always when you feel they are about to lose the plot they pull it back to greater triumphs. Each track is a standalone epic in its own way but each then sits so well with the others that the overall musical theme leaves an indelible signature.
A captivating album of which my only real complaint is that, at around an hour, it’s glaringly short. It’s good and it could well be the best thing Archon Vorskaath has produced to date.
(8.5/10 Reverend Darkstanley)
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