Stob Dearg - Nocturnal Witchcraft
Self Release
Black Metal
7 songs (26:35)
Release year: 2012
Reviewed by Jaime
You know the usual tropes. Sounds like it's been recorded in a tin can. No bass. Can't make out what they're saying. ...Satan. Black metal, especially the kind that harkens back to its fledgling years, is a bit of an easy target. That's probably because a fair number can't get the execution right, for all their wont of being evil they typically fall short and sound almost like a parody. Some bands nail it, and sound completely demonic, others don't.

So where do newcomers Stob Dearg sit in the grand scheme of things? Questionable intro aside they probably swing more towards the evil spectum, cliches and all. First track proper Nocturnal Witchcraft has everything you need to know about the band. Excellent riffs, a furious sonic quality that balances the lo-fi filth the music needs with the ability to hear what's actually going on and a venomous vocalist who you can actually understand. Stone Age Burial is an equally intense smack about the head, and Ghost in The Water is a short, sharp stab that slightly veers into death metal territory at points.

While Satanic Lust manages to keep up musically the vocals change a bit here, and the lyrics take a fair noise dive as well. Chosen Swordsman starts with an ill-advised sample and sadly veers into cheesy, stereotypical metal themes that the band managed to toy with but at the same time maintain a straight face. Maybe it's the whole Scottish thing and Highlander quote though. It's serviceable at least, where as Vampire of the Autumnmoon is pretty generic sounding musically and lyrically. The opening venom is basically gone, drained by the end of the album as they become more.

All in all it's a mostly good stab at old school, black metal. Which it's patchy the band are still fairly young, and hopefully anything they come up with will be more along the lines of the first half that the latter. If you want to download it the band have made it available for free on their Bandcamp here.
Killing Songs :
Nocturnal Witchcraft, Stone Age Burial, Ghost of The Water
Jaime quoted 70 / 100
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