Album Review: Nokturnal Mortum - "Mirovozzrenie"

Band: Nokturnal Mortum (Ukraine)
Album Title: Mirovozzrenie
Label: Oriana Music (Ukraine)
Released: 2005 (2004 copyright date)

This is quite possibly my favorite pagan metal album to date. I'll say that outright. It's an immensely satisfying listen, and it's difficult for me to find any fault with it. Nokturnal Mortum has been a consistently good band over the years, but, in my opinion, Mirovozzrenie is their crowning achievement so far.

This album is better known by the title Weltanschauung, which is the name of the English-language version released by the German label No Colours. There are other differences besides the language of the lyrics and packaging, but, having never heard that version, I'll have to take someone else's word for it.

Nokturnal Mortum's career has seen them change with every release, sometimes drastically. Their previous full-length, NeChrist, was generally very fast symphonic black metal, but Mirovozzrenie, for the most part, slows things down quite a bit, and also introduces more folk into the songs and the interludes. What results is a classic pagan metal album with a huge sound and presence. They also dropped many of the trappings of the black metal image for chain-mail and swords. Now they look less like Satanic minions and more like mighty pagan warriors.

Mirovozzrenie consists of 14 tracks, six of which are actual songs. Each of these six songs are excellent, in my opinion. Three of them are newer versions of songs heard previously on The Taste of Victory, but these versions are more refined and better-produced. In fact, the production on the album is wonderful. Every instrument is given room to shine, and the songs sound appropriately powerful. The music is still very epic and symphonic, with some great keyboards that greatly enhance the atmosphere but do not dull the impact of the guitars, drums, and vocals. This is the way it should be done. Vocals are delivered in a sort of black metal shout. It's not shrieking or growling, and it's not like the shouting used in hardcore music. It's hard to describe, but it fits. There are occasional clean background vocals, as well as clean lead vocals on the final actual song, "The Taste of Victory."

I suppose those who dislike the use of keyboards in metal will find problems with this release, and I'm certain that many will find fault with the band's politics. Some will also feel that the album is overlong, or that Nokturnal Mortum lost the plot when they decided to slow down their music and drop much of the black metal sound of previous releases.

However, many, like me, have and will continue to consider this one of the finest releases in the genre. Nokturnal Mortum has shown us just how sweeping and powerful a pagan metal album can be.

Just excellent...