DunkelNacht was formed back in 2004/2005 in Lille, France, by Heimdall, originally as a one-man Extreme Metal project, joined later in 2007 by bassist/lyricist Alkhemohr, resulting in a substantial discography over the ensuing years.
DunkelNacht – Sombre Nuit (Non Serviam Records)
Release Date: 16 May 2022
Words: Jools Green
But time passes, and all things come to an end. The Black/Death Metal band are set to release their final EP, Sombre Nuit, and for this final offering, they have gone back to their roots, literally, re-recording four songs from their first full-length, 2010s Atheist Dezekration.
The aim of Sombre Nuit is to represent the perfect mix between hatred, revulsion and hope, delivered in their native tongue, about which Alkhemohr says, “Weaponize the wisdom, convert the passive as an ally. Don’t be nostalgic for anything and then… disappear. Stay there for a lifetime, huddled in the shadows. At last, reborn.
“We are no longer the same, the spirit forged by the scars. Eloquence, on the other hand, remains close to the purest convictions. This dark night (Sombre Nuit) inspires us, our spirits heat up, and the corpus stirs in creative form. So here is the light…And it is upon reading these words that our opponents begin to tremble because they know very well that, behind the conflagration, we are back.”
The EP is also a tribute from DunkelNacht to the true origins of Extreme Metal music as well, aiming to channel the spirit of the 1990s/Early 2000s Scandinavian Black Metal (bands like Dark Funeral, Marduk, Setherial etc.), reflecting the sound of this era mixing British guitar amplifiers, triggered natural drums and raw, primitive vocals and maintaining their established lyrical themes of mocking the institutionalized/established monotheism.
The urge to re-release these four tracks as an EP is driven by the desire of the band to give these songs a better production than they originally received, which they quite rightly felt they deserved.
It’s immediately apparent why DunkelNacht chose these four impressive tracks—opening with the fast and dynamic Oligarchislamisme (Oligarch Islamism), which assaults your senses from the very start with a wave of driving riffs and drum work. I love the chanting backing vocals and clean work, adding contrast to the harsher vocals, and there is an exotic quality to the leadwork. This superb track is well constructed, well varied, and utterly engaging, along with an enticing ebb and flow to the pace.
Les Ailes clouées du Sionisme (The Nailed Wings of Zionism) takes a more haunting turn sound-wise but still packs a punch. Overall, it is a beautifully dark, driving-paced track that is enticingly convoluted in its construct with superb swathes of soaring leadwork, a joy to listen to.
The longest track at over seven minutes, Étau chrétien (Christian vice) doesn’t waste any time getting down to business, with more clean backing vocals which add a superb dark texture, as does the flamboyant waves of leadwork. A dark and brutally driving, uncompromising beast of a track.
Final piece, L’antichambre des âmes tortures (The Antechamber of Tortured Souls), is an acoustic guitar piece of sublime proportions, the perfect end to a superb EP of well-selected and re-delivered tracks.
And whilst Sombre Nuit might be the final EP from DunkelNacht, as individuals, they continue to further their art, to “evolve/grow their dynamic Black/Death Metal.” So this isn’t the end but a marker for new beginnings.
Available as a cassette, digipack CD or digital download at DunkelNacht.bandcamp.com.
