Setting sail with their 2nd full-length album, under the flag of resurrected cult label Cacophonous, are voyage-obsessed misanthropic black metallers from the Northwest of England, Necronautical.
Presenting themselves with the intensity of a seafaring Eastern Front, ‘The Endurance At Night’ is a blasting and plundering barrage of vehement riffing and symphonic grandeur.
The brief and moody intro to ‘Pure Moon’ is certainly the calm before the storm, as we set off into the midst of some mighty riffs, accompanied by awesome percussion, with Naut’s ferocious rasp and an influence of Maiden’s ‘Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son’ bubbling underneath.
With the “music box” beginning of ‘Nihilartikel’ turning into a beast of rampaging riffs, the incredible vocals and lead solos fly thick and fast, as does the drama, highlighted by the keys and sombre drones of ‘Spitzenkorper’.
Already here, Necronautical are offering material akin to the very best of Marduk, Watain, and the aforementioned Eastern Front.
…And the standard continues, with the shimmer and sinister playfulness of ‘Oceanus Procellarum’, featuring a Maiden-style lead guitar creeping in towards the end of the track.
The cinematic sweep of ‘Strom’ is quite something to behold, as are the icy trem-picked riffs and the battering drum blasts, as we forge further on under the incessant steam of the album’s title-track, and its closer ‘Theia’.
…Both songs successfully creating mood and power through sheer might and subtle majesty. A consistent current on this dynamic album.
The musical skill on display here is obviously impressive, but it’s so integrated into the maelstrom that the results never seem overly flashy or contrived, making ‘The Endurance At Night’ an intense body of work, rather neatly tempered by its keen melody.
The albums symphonic elements provide our journey with a grand and epic delivery that never descends into pomposity, presenting numerous and varied treasures along the way, making this release essential listening for extreme metal fans and musical adventurers.
(9.5/10 Stuart Carroll)
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