Noctambulist – Atmospheres of Desolation

January 2019 – Blood Harvest Records

Atmospheres of Desolation is the most dense and opaque record I've listened to this year, bringing me back to my early exploration of dissonant black and death metal, where I learned to swim in the thick pools of quicksand distortion and breathe the noxious fumes of dissonance. Noctambulist have crafted a trying experience, as wading through the waist-high marsh they recorded requires full attention – from the hellish arpeggios burning my lungs to the muddy technical chuggs pulling at my legs from beneath, Atmospheres of Desolation does its best to test my sanity.

Despite the obscure, swampy aesthetic they've cultivated like a jungle garden of poisonous plants, Noctambulist show technical prowess, but with enough restraint as to not become musical masturbation. Kick drums using start/stop patterns, guitar work that needs no leads to show off creativity or precision, and overall tight playing show great musicianship without pretension – Atmospheres of Desolation is a masterclass in using skill in aid of songwriting. Tension rises and falls like a broken roller coaster, its train pushing the restraints to their limits. Unexpected shifts in tone and playing on tropes are common themes throughout the record, where a predictable breakdown will turn into a festival of dissonance.

In lieu of faux blackened influence like a phrygian scale or airy vocals, Noctambulist have taken the high road – far from the easy listening territory of Behemoth, disharmonious arpeggios and intense atmosphere have all the emphasis. Despite this, Atmospheres of Desolation is a death metal record before anything else, with an in-your-face approach that lasts almost the full 27 minutes. It's a powerful album which will hopefully aid in redefining a stagnant genre mix into something infinitely more interesting.

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