Artist: Nuctemeron
Country: Germany
Label: Narbentage Produktionen
Formats: 7″ EP
Year: 2025
In recent years, German Black/Speed Metal band Nuctemeron has worked hard to build a solid reputation, and it’s almost impossible not to have come across their name somewhere at least once. With two EP’s and two split 7″ EP’s (with Nocturnal and Nunslaughter respectively), the band has already won over many fans, especially in their own country, but an upcoming album to be released via the Swedish label I Hate Records is supposed to conquer the rest of the world as well. Before that, we have a preview on a limited edition 7″ EP released by the German label Narbentage Produktionen.
When a band is embracing the Heavy Metal sound of the mid- to late 80’s and combines that with some First Wave Black Metal and made that their core business, it is not to be expected that they will change that formula real quickly – if at all. Consequently, that means that ‘Rape From The Grave’ offers exactly zero progression or any other adventurism. Over the years the band might have lost the last bit of its mild Thrash Metal edge, but other than that, ‘Rape From The Grave’ is just another exercise in sincere and straight-forward Black/Heavy Metal that is built on the very foundations laid in the 90’s by bands like Nifelheim and Desaster.
The two songs of this EP, the title track and ‘Angel Dust’, actually have everything you have come to expect from a new piece of music from Nuctemeron: well-crafted and dynamic song writing, catchy riffs, melodic leads and that idiosyncratic vocal delivery. That specific vocal sound might be something that you need to get used to a bit, at least it took me a bit, but by now for me it only adds to the recognizable Nuctemeron sound. Both songs have a thick Rock-‘n’-Roll vibe and a punchy production, perhaps making this EP the most effective of the band’s discography. At the very least, it shows that the band is still extremely proficient with this musical formula, whether it’s old or not.
In recent years this sort of music seems to enjoy a slight resurgence, with the underground popularity of bands such as Sexmag and Gallower the current musical climate seems to be better than ever. If you haven’t heard them, but never seem to get enough of classic Destruction, Sodom and Destruction as well as Aura Noir, Witchtrap Nocturnal Breed, Nocturnal, Deströyer 666, Abigail or Vulcano, you know what to do. This for sure is a nice appetizer for what is yet to come…
