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Nivathe > Nivathe > Reviews > Noktorn
Nivathe - Nivathe

Not very necessary given the full-length but great - 79%

Noktorn, March 11th, 2010

The two tracks featured on this demo are exactly the same as their counterparts on Nivathe's full-length album, so the primary difference here is a matter of production. The production on the full-length is loud, forward, and abrasive, super heavy but with a thinness in the guitars which provides an odd contrast to the massive low end. Here on the tape, the sound is more smothered, further away, but at the same time all the instruments seem closer together. The texture of the guitars isn't as definite, but what this slightly lacks in clarity, it makes up for in coherence; nothing on the full-length sounds quite as massive and impregnable as this despite its distance from the listener. There's literally no difference that I can tell between the versions of these tracks on the tape versus the CD, so it's a fairly unnecessary release if you have the full-length.

That being said, I might actually prefer the production on this tape slightly; it's a little less experimental, but having such a definite core of midrange actually contributes something to the mood of the release. Actually, the atmosphere on these tracks versus their CD counterparts is fairly different; 'Enveloped In A Diseased Abyss' is a little more bleak and all-consuming, but I think the occult vibe might be a little better on the tape. Either way, this has been sold out forever so you'll never hear it, but if you manage to find a copy and already enjoy the full-length, you might as well get this; the contrast is an interesting case study in the usage of dynamics and production in extreme music.