Nox Formulae are a new one on me but apparently they’ve taken some time out of their busy schedule (trying to free the dark one from behind the thin veil of human reality) to release an album. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that offering The Hidden Paths To Black Ecstasy to your speakers is all part of the plan to bring darkness forth upon the world. And a bloody good attempt it is too. Not that I’m an expert on summoning ancient gods but I am partial to a bit of ‘ritualistic’ black metal – especially when there’s so much attention placed on nudging this to the edge of what we’ve all heard before. This is an occult-driven ceremony steeped in light from black candles. It uses those tremolos like a butcher’s knife and those rasping vocals tear into your dainty flesh like the lashing of the eternal flames of the underworld.
The first thing that strikes me about ‘….Black Ecstasy’ is the inspired production which leaves your frayed emotions even more on edge than usual for this type of stuff. Harsh vocals switch with spoken word elements to give the impression that reality and unreality are flashing before you as the spell takes hold while the main riffs and percussion are all brought to the fore leaving the classic tremolo leads hanging cavernous like a dark shadow in the background. The first track proper (after the obligatory intro) The Shadow Smoke reminds me of a range of occult-driven black metal stalwarts – like the ever atmospheric Acherontas mixed with the more classically-driven bands of the genre like Nightbringer. This is equally as ambitious in its own nascent way as both of those excellent bands. The Shodow Smoke drives the opening of the album along at a fierce pace and straight into the much more ritualistic second track Nahemoth Death Plane complete with its land sliding riff.
Nox Formulae are from Greece, that seemingly bottomless pit of black metal talent. Not that you’d necessarily be able to tell from ‘… Black Ecstasy’. Despite the clear pointers to more recent bands, it’s all steeped in a very early 1990s sound you’d probably associate with bands like Darkthrone and at its heart is some impressive black metal. But there’s a cunning, almost faultlessly clever production I might normally associate with US bands – a brand of slick style that may turn of anyone looking for a dirtier sound. But while there is atmosphere aplenty here it doesn’t just come from clever studio arrangements. The wickedly digestible riffs of the first half of the album (and right up to the intense sixth track Yezidic NOX Formula) give way to a much more formless beast at times, particularly in the final stages. The driving aggression gives way to an even more haunting style by the time we get to OD Dominion and the finale, the 8 minute Hidden Clan NXN, Nox Formulae could have been conducting a collaboration with the mighty, and extremely dirty and blackened, Varathron.
Bands old and new seem to be raising their game a bit this year perhaps with the realisation that just being ‘good’ isn’t good enough anymore. Nox Formulae are very much a case in point. They appear to have more or less come out of nowhere with this one – an occult-driven ritual steeped in black flames – stirring spirits and dark gods from the other realms. Even if this wasn’t their first effort it would be a release worth recommending with echoes of the old world and the new coming through loud and clear. If you’re already tired of anything with the words ‘occult’ or ‘ritual’ attached to it then maybe you’re reading the wrong review. Otherwise I would suggest that Nox Formulae should be added to your bands to check out before the rift opens and the dark one arrives on his plague chariot. Or at least before you begin compiling your 2016 favourites list.
(8/10 Reverend Darkstanley)
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