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Ningizzia > The Dark Path > 1998, CD, Independent (CD-R) > Reviews
Ningizzia - The Dark Path

Following ones loved one to the grave - 89%

Insignium, January 3rd, 2004

Ningizzia is a two man project which goes in new ways. For example the band was created and developed over the internet. This whole demo actually seems to have been made over the internet without the two musicians ever meeting eachother in real life. Ever how weird it might seem, the music sounds complete. It's a new way of creating music, but according to the sound of this demo, it works. The quality of the sound on the demo does reveal that it is an independent release. Yet this doesn't restrict the music. The guitars could have sounded better if they were recorded in a good studio. And the drums would have sounded less flat. However this is something that you don't really notice right away. The quality is just good enough to that it is hard to notice. Far from all independent releases can boast of this kind of quality.

The many instruments vary from piano to church organs and guitars, all working to create a dark atmosphere. The music is slow and deep, yet it makes the heart pace up a little. While the rest of the instruments march slowly, the drums often keep a higher tempo. This doesn't ruin the doomy feeling. It simply adds to the pulsating pain which dwell in the music. The church organ rises over this and raises the majestic, haunting feeling this demo has. Once in a while the epic parts pause and the music give room to calm, melodic, and often very sad, passages. Even though there is a lot of instruments involved the guitars do the main job. Creating a rich sound through filling in all gaps, even the ones barely distinguishable in the background. Also they are very melodic and varied, causing the long tracks never to get repeditive. The music releases wawe upon wawe of intense sadness and mental torture. This music goes deep...

The final piece to complete the music is the extremely dark, nearly beastlike, vocals. Due to these unique vocals, even though there is only one vocalist it sometimes seems to be two of them. They are also sometimes spoken in a dark soft voice during the empty pauses that lie between the majestic parts of the music. The lyrics speak of death and loss. Especially loss. Life after the loss is simply unbearable, and grows more painful by the moment. The mourning slowly kills all good things inside. This demo is a story of a love so strong that when life leaves the loved one, the other find nothing left to live for. All becomes empty. All the memories become haunting thoughts where all else is forgotten. In the end the loss becomes too much and life is no longer an option.

Interpretation of the tracks:
-Spirit Of The Abandoned: Begins slowly and calmly with a piano playing a soothing yet sad tune, accompanied by a cello in the background. The main part of the track then begins and the drums has soon paced up to a high tempo, while the characteristic slow march of instruments that Ningizzia has, turn the music deep and at a low tempo. This particular song has a lot of funeral doom elements. This can be proven by that the track does feel like the nerveous and numbening grief that one would have in the funeral march of a loved one. The lyrics also describe the loss of a dearly loved one. The sound of the vocals alone tell of the dark beast that is what is left of the aching heart. The whole world feels like the inside. Desolate and empty. All that is left in this world is the hatred of oneself and the lack of she who made the world a good place. Now that she is gone, so is all good. The only way to be free of this sorrow, is to leave this world...

-The Point Of No Return: Is the most majestic track on the album. Rich and wast in it's sorrow and grief. The overall pace of the track is a little higher than Spirit Of The Abandoned. Making it more frustrating, more painful and tilting it a little more towards black metal. The church organs top the music off nicely, while the guitars play in elaborate melodies. The whole experience of the track is like the hall of a huge church with rich decorations. The music simply surrounds and overwhelms you. The lyrics are no less massive. They take on nothing less than the doom of the world. Mankind will fall because of what we has created of the world. The spirits freedom is chained to a wall. Living is no longer desirable. The spirit has to be set free from it's corpse.

-An Ode To The Realms Of Ancient Wisdoms: Is a purely instrumental piece. It has a medevil and folkish feeling over it. Only accoustic guitars are used in a calm, wandering way. The same kind of music one would expect a bard to play in a hall of kings. Yet it has the sad elements of the previous tracks, making it blend in with the rest of the album despite the huge differences. Unlike the rest of the demo this isn't doom metal. Actually it isn't metal at all. It is a soothing ambient piece done solely on guitar. But it doens't just give a break from the massive tracks which the rest of the demo consist of. My interpretation of the title of the track is that this song is a dedication to the influences Ningizzia has. The old folkish way of creating sad, yet romantic masterpieces.

-The Dark Path: Begins with a 2 minute long piano solo which is harmonic in a classisistic way. Then the song begins in a serene. very majestic way. The music is taken to an even higher degree of nobility. The music is as tragic as ever before, but now the tragedy has changed it's way. It now feels like the soul is about to leave the body and soar in the sky. As the music progresses on the majestic feeling drops a little off and goes over to a funeral doom pace. The heavy depression that lingers throughout the track just grows deeper and deeper. All that without Ningizzia ever loosing their melodic touch. This dark path the title of the track mentions lies even clearer in the lyrics. The path of life goes dark once the person you would have wished to live life with, suddenly pass away. One questions oneself wether life holds anymore light, but cannot find neither help or sustainance. As the pondering turns into wisdom, one sees that one is abandoned by all good. All is lost. Now all that is left to do in life, is to leave it.