Soundtrack for a Suicide - Opus II

Here we are again with the second album of our favorite cemetery poets Herr Suizid and Lord Lokhraed, "Soundtrack for a Suicide (Opus II)". At the beginning it should be mentioned that this album has nothing to do with the "Soundtrack for a Suicide" demo released in 2005. The name "Opus II" only serves to identify this album as the successor to their debut "Nostalgia (Fragments of a Broken Past)", so it is not a continuation of the demo tape of the same name. And to anticipate it, "Soundtrack for a Suicide (Opus II)" is a logical version of "Nostalgia (Fragments of a Broken Past)" with refined nuances. Nocturnal Depression doesn't deviate too much from their previous songwriting, in some ways they only add small but effective details to their funeral songs. In terms of production, "Soundtrack for a Suicide (Opus II)" remains true to the path taken by "Nostalgia (Fragments of a Broken Past)", everything looks a bit washed out, but at the same time sounds warmer and more confidential than it was the case with "Nostalgia (Fragments of a Broken Past)".

But as already mentioned, small readjustments have crept into the sound of Herr Suizid and Lord Lokhraed. Their undeniable talent to create larger arcs of tension is already evident in the first minutes of "Anthem to Self-Destruction", which starts out sadly and calmly as usual but sounds more understandable than anything that could be found on "Nostalgia (Fragments of a Broken Past)". "Anthem to Self-Destruction" shows the inclined listener right from the start where the journey is going and thereby exposes all cards and reveals the greatest weakness that runs through the whole album: Repetitive cycles, something that also plagued "Nostalgia (Fragments of a Broken Past)".

Nocturnal Depression manage to turn their greatest weakness into a virtue on "Soundtrack for a Suicide (Opus II)", because like on "Nostalgia (Fragments of a Broken Past)" and the "Four Seasons to a Depression" demo, Nocturnal Depression, with their melody-loving way of composing music, creates an atmosphere that is like a fog-covered cemetery. All of this is topped off with a touch of black romance. The lyrics are still about depression and wanting to die, but they fit the mood of the songs perfectly. I would even go that far and claim that Herr Suizid and Lord Lokhraed can even transport the drawing of their songs better than it was the case on "Nostalgia (Fragments of a Broken Past)".

Even if "The Stars Lightening My Path" only repeats one and the same riff over and over for 10 minutes, or "Intermezzo" only consists of a repeating melody that is underlaid with samples of emergency calls, it somehow fits. Yes, I even find "Join Me with Suicide" cozy, this song has an incredibly relaxed flair, as if Nocturnal Depression had actually succeeded in selling someone a suicide with joy. But no matter how good "Hear My Voice... Kill Yourself" may be in its monotony, it is just too long. It wouldn't have hurt to cut this song by half its playing time. Going deeper into the rest of the songs would be a waste of time because they are all similar and have the same problem as "Anthem to Self-Destruction", they are characterized by monotony, but also with great melodies and atmosphere.

It remains one of the great strengths of this band to transform monotony into something romantically beautiful. Somehow only Nocturnal Depression can do that, I haven't found any other band that can use such minimalistic tones to reflect the beauty of a gothic cemetery. And in all honesty, isn't that exactly what we want? I recommend this band once again to everyone. The talent is there, good songs are there and of course atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere. I've always been a fan of Nocturnal Depression. Even if their music may not reach perfection, they have something that hardly any band can manage in this sector to the same extent: to process monotony with love. I kind of love it and so will you. Anyone who does not know whether this band or this album could be something for them should ask themselves the following question: Do you like to walk through clear, star-studded, ice-cold nights and carry melancholy thoughts with you? If the answer is "yes" then "Soundtrack for a Suicide (Opus II)" is exactly the album you are looking for.