Four Seasons to a Depression

Somehow it seems like almost every black metal band at some point in their career develops the need to set the four seasons to music. Either that is a trend or the four seasons have a special influence on black metal. And this assumption is not that far-fetched, because black metal is very nature-related. Some bands manage this endeavor better, some don't. With their demo "Four Seasons to a Depression", Nocturnal Depression are somewhere in between. Half a year after their official debut album "Nostalgia (Fragments of a Broken Past)", Nocturnal Depression bring their next demo to the people. It is the fourth demo recording after "Suicidal Thoughts" and "Near to the Stars", which were released three months apart in 2004, and "Soundtrack for a Suicide" from 2005.

The demos "Suicidal Thoughts" and "Near to the Stars" as well as "Soundtrack for a Suicide" are not known to me, as they were only available as cassettes in a strictly limited edition, and they were also difficult to get. And let's be honest, I hate tapes, I'm not a big vinyl fan either, but tapes are just shit.

But what can I say about a demo of the two death romantics Herr Suizid and Lord Lokhraed? Nocturnal Depression shone on "Nostalgia (Fragments of a Broken Past)" not with variety but all the more with romance and atmosphere. They develop this gift to a certain extent on "Four Seasons to a Depression". The monotony still prevails, just a little more balanced and sometimes more exciting. Despite the fact that the opener "Spring" consists of only 2 riffs and has over 10 minutes playing time, it is kept exciting. Despite its length, the song flows well through its 10 minutes and is also quite entertaining. "Summer" is rather doomy and resembles "Spring" in its monotony. "Autumn" is a highlight, even if it is very similar to "Summer". Here Nocturnal Depression manage to create a pretty good arc of tension. A talent that Nocturnal Depression undoubtedly have but that "Nostalgia (Fragments of a Broken Past)" rarely used.

"Winter" is something that I have wished for a long time, a song that not only stays in mid-tempo but also shows its teeth. In short, Nocturnal Depression can get really grim too. With blast beats, the song swirls through the gray landscape like a snow storm. This may not offer much variety in the first few minutes, but because of the variety no one will put on a Nocturnal Depression record. But in fact "Winter" is very varied for Nocturnal Depression conditions. Pace changes here and there, from creeping slowly to furiously fast, from deeply sad to incredibly grim and dark. The good 9 minutes pass really quickly here, the best song on this demo.

In the end, Herr Suizid and Lord Lokhraed managed to develop their work further, more in nuances but quite strong. It's a shame that it didn't turn out to be a real album, it would have been the perfect follow-up to "Nostalgia (Fragments of a Broken Past)". But in the end there is a demo that is damn good and even puts "Nostalgia (Fragments of a Broken Past)" in the shade.