Artist: Nathrath
Country: Spain
Label: Diabolical Blood Productions
Format: Demo Tape
Year: 2026
‘Rexurdimento’ is the fourth release under the name Nathrath, whose first demo came out in March this year. That means that in less than half a year, we’ve already been treated to quite a lot of music to get to know this Spanish one-man band. Although we need to be somewhat cautious about labelling them ‘Spanish’, the band, and all associated acts from the ‘Gallaecia Kommando’ circle, explicitly identify as Galician. In my reviews of their previous releases, I’ve already elaborated on the band’s origins, so there’s no need to go into that in detail again now, but it remains one of the most important aspects of Nathrath. Not only because it indicates the musician’s background, but also because this is clearly reflected in Nathrath’s Raw Black Metal and is even beginning to play an increasingly important role within it.
I had previously identified the Galician national anthem used as the intro on the second demo, ‘Os Escuros Segredos Da Gallaecia (Demo II)’, but I’m having considerably more trouble with what the intro to this third demo tape is. Regardless, it fits in well with the whole. A lovely piece of traditional music that evokes times gone by; although, as a Dutchman, I naturally cannot feel any connection to the Galician region, it nevertheless feels strangely familiar and comforting.
In a sense, the same can be said of the music that follows. The average person rowing along with Amon Amarth at Wacken Open Air won’t understand you, but ‘Rexurdimento’ evokes a calm and deeply rooted sense of contentment in me. Nostalgia is the right word again. The Raw Black Metal is by no means boring or one-dimensional, and within the confines of the genre, Nathrath manages to create a strikingly dynamic whole with various tempo changes and chord progressions. The few moments of respite in the music come in the form of Folk passages and atmospheric keyboards (let’s please not call this ‘Dungeon Synth’ for a change) and give an extra boost to both the dynamic character and the overall atmosphere of this third, and certainly best, demo.
Anyone who, like me and with or without a midlife crisis, longs for the good old days will find Nathrath right up their alley. ‘Rexurdimento’ mentally transports you back to times you probably never even experienced, but musically it’s certainly a step back in time too. Although it bears a strong resemblance to bands such as Judas Iscariot and the somewhat more melancholic side of Moonblood, it also shares a similar vibe with much of the Eastern European Black Metal from the second half of the 1990s and the early 2000s. This third cassette is once again highly recommended; it’s a shame that fewer than 20 copies were available: it merits more exposure.
