A debut release from this (I think) duo and it’s a concept album mixing the idea of F.W. Murnau, director of classic 1922 film Nosferatu, going to Hollywood and getting mixed up with actual vampires in 1928 (which I guess isn’t a million miles from the plot of 2000 film Shadow Of The Vampire).

Sounds a pretty good backdrop for some black metal to me…

The curtains open with ‘Lost Films’, a sombre, occasionally discordant mix of lo-fi keys with orchestral sounds, a short overture before ‘Hollywood Vampires ‘ and from the first scratchy guitar sounds and vocals gargled into a cardboard cone I gather three things. Firstly, any production is minimal. Hardly a problem for me and some of the stuff I listen to though (hi Kapala!). Secondly there appears to be no mix either; its either everything the same or something, not necessarily the right thing, smothers the sound. Now it’s possible that they were going for a simulation of 1920s recordings, but it doesn’t convince at all. Thirdly the guitar runs are horribly thin and tinny.

The we get to ‘The Deal’. Still the mix and guitar issues but at last you can hear the riff. And its surprisingly a great sound – think Ildjarn without the bass flapping loose, but against some nice if primitive dungeon synth keys and very nicely deranged vocals. Ok, I think, they can do this. At least there’s real potential here.

On we plough past another instrumental link with the usual problems into ‘London After Midnight’ (a lost 1927 Todd (Freaks) Browning film which is a bit of a goth come black metal mess I’m afraid; the lack of mix almost kills it dead and the guitar is horrible. But weirdly you can feel there’s a good song fighting to get out of the sack its tied in. ‘Four Devils’ is pretty similar but the lovely, fuzzy and insistent riff raises it hugely until the guitar break.

Well, this is how it goes. Weak instrumental breaks, lack of mix drowning songs either in basic keyboards or very basic drum patterns but when the riffs are allowed to poke through you realise there are probably some good songs here. It’s also that these songs hint at needing a much more delicate arrangement to bring out their essence. I don’t mean slick modern production, just care in the mix.

There is something about this that makes me want to like it so much; the riffs, the vocals that are so full of character, the structure if you can mentally strip out the duvet of keyboard and the thump thump drums, the creeping unbalanced atmosphere. There really is that insistent tug of some Ildjarn in the sound and structure of the riffs, there is something about the songs that makes me believe that Vinterdracul could be something to watch.

But lordy they need to get their recording and mixing sorted for this kind of music. Maybe just write a few things without keyboards, relying on those great lo-fi riffs and vocals and see where they go before adding the keyboards but turned way down. And get a better guitar sound for the runs and breaks.

Or just get this mixed.

At the moment, file under ‘fascinating potential ‘.

(4/10 Gizmo)

https://vinterdracul.bandcamp.com/album/the-murnau-nocturnes