Igne in Tenebris

Hailing from the north central region of Mexico, Nocturnal Sacrifice is a black metal band that formed in 2009. They released their debut EP, Ignes in Tenebris in 2013, which features five tracks of aggressive and punishing black metal. Cold Raw Records reissued Ignes in Tenebris on CD-R in October of 2014, limited to 150 copies. Mexican black metal, historically, brings a sound fairly similar to the South American scene; dirty, sleazy and primal. Nocturnal Sacrifice’s sound is surely primal, but there’s a touch of class within the song structures.

Although the EP only has a playtime of shortly over twenty minutes, the band directs a ferocious yet controlled assault. Raw, vitriolic, mid-range shouts carry the lyrical themes forward as the music relies heavily on a second wave Scandinavian sound, which is fitting with the album title, which one can only imagine is loosely translated as “flame in the dark”. Most of the album shows off ramped up trem picking and blasting drums, like on “In Rites of Witches” and “When Decadence Arrives”. It’s dark and pummeling, taking cues from the likes of Tsjuder and Marduk at times, while never really full going in for that super raw, zero fucks give kind of sound.

Changing paces, to keep things from growing stale, portions slow down, like “There Is No Exorcism”, which shows off marching percussion and a steady, middle of the road term pattern, which calls to mind early Marduk. Sure the paces are picked up later in the track, but it allows the faster, more pummeling sections to strike a little harder after the brakes are thrown on. “Bastard on the Cross” brings in some Neanderthal smash and bash vibes, using some early 80′s proto-black metal vibes, but Nocturnal Sacrifice keep the flames of the second wave burning bright, by steering, once again, into miasmic and swirling term riffs.

Despite it’s brevity, there’s enough variation between the tracks to keep things interesting. The has since changed a large portion of its lineup, sporting a new vocalist, guitarist and bassist, so it will be interesting to see if the two original members are able to retain the band’s style. While there was variety with Ignes in Tenebris, how that sound translates to a full length album will serve as the band’s true test, as things could likely overstay their welcome if the music meanders too much or the band tries to cast an even wider net than they did here. With Igne in Tenebris, Nocturnal Sacrifice is certainly an act to watch out for, bringing the darkness of the Scandinavian scene to the warm climes of Mexico.

Written for The Metal Observer.