When it comes to atmospheric black metal, you will not go far wrong with this latest offering from a trio from across the pond. Noltem have been in existence since 2003, apart from a break between 2007 and 2015, and they have now taken the leap and exposed their first full length album to the world. ‘Illusions In The Wake’ is built of six tracks and is very much created around an audible presence of the ocean and the waves crashing against shorelines to create an atmosphere and ambience beyond majestic and sublime.

The ocean violently and audibly crashing in opens us up to the album, and ‘Figment’ which then allows us to bear witness to the power and elegance of this release in equal measures. The vocals from John Kerr are commanding and powerful. The growls and harmonies are thrown out of Kerr’s lungs with precision and passion, this level of authority and influence not giving one ounce of respite from ‘Figment’ right through to the close of the album. Each track is marathonic in its existence bar ‘Submerged’, which rears its head mid album to give an element of instrumental beauty in and amongst the delicacy and charm of its album siblings.

To think that this swathing and swarming ornate diamond is created by the hands and minds of just three masters is mind blowing. The strings from Johnson and Kerr are graceful and mesmerising with the scale of grandeur from the fretboards being polished and hypnotic throughout. The chunkier strings from Shalin Shah are impressive and influential with an air of dominance and dynamism. Keys from Johnson and Kerr also carve the tracks open at poignant moments, adding an extra element of grace and elegance to the already sweeping soundscape of gentility and splendour.

There are frequent undercurrents of folk themes through this sophisticated construction, and the ease with which all components merge to create this grand and palatial decadent album is awe inspiring and on another level to most who fall before it.

This will sweep you up and transport you to another land for 40 minutes which will then leave you hungry for more of the same. Noltem will find many of their peers trying to replicate the beauty and delicacy they have delivered within the ranks of ‘Illusions In The Wake’, many will succeed to draw alongside and one or two will even outstrip the product which is on offer here, sadly though most will fall just short and be left treading water in the swell of Noltem’s ocean.

(9/10 Phil Pountney)

https://www.facebook.com/noltem

https://noltemband.bandcamp.com/album/illusions-in-the-wake-atmospheric-black-metal