Label: Self released
Date: May 9th, 2024
As the name of the album said, chaos is actually unleashed because it’s finally out after a year of waiting. Their previous album “I Marors Djup” is now a one year old baby and you had a chance to read about it exactly in Abaddon Magazine. Now again, we welcomed their third album with innovations but still with defined style. Nattsjäl is quite new but with experienced musicians like these, there is no doubt they will make something marvellous.
When I said in my last two reviews for Nattsjäl that I can’t wait to hear their new material, I honestly didn’t think they will actually listen to me and offer us new music this soon. After years of playing, with tons of concerts behind and love for music these gentlemen know what they are doing. “Chaosweaver” came just in time to wake me up from lack of inspiration. “The Gravelands”, symbolically like a storm, opened the album. That spicy mix of black, power and thrash, based in this song and in entire album should get one special place and a new subgenre called “storm metal” and to be equal to all other hybrid genres ever made. We are definitely ready for that innovation and Nattsjäl as its first example. As I said, this first song already gave me goosebumps and with shredding guitar sound and epic vocals of Thomas Vikström prepared me for what comes next. “The Last Voyage” has a totally different vibe. With untypical piano intro, slower with mystical atmosphere, really showed us what Nattsjäl as a band can do. Entire album has such a diversity of melodies. Especially in songs like “Serenad för Mörkret”, “In The Dead of a Cold Evil Night” and closing song “The Snowcovered Lands”. Three songs that are so different compared with each other that I had to check a few times did I maybe click on another album or maybe band accidentally. From the fastest thrash and black metal riffs and growls of “Reaper of Dying” and “In the Dead of a Cold Evil Night” to almost melodic metal songs with epic atmosphere, this was really a piece of art. Female vocal really completes the entire story and gives a special powerful vibe to tracks. I can’t even imagine how it will sound live with three different vocal techniques in almost every song.
Album is actually conceptual and main subject is actually in the name itself, but it can be fit in a story of ship crew in the arms of death. If someone watched the movie “Last Voyage of the Demeter”. If you read only the songs’ names from first to the last it sounds like chapters and lyrics are actually a good scenario for history / mystery drama movie or a book. Maybe Nattsjäl should think about that when they decide to make musical videos for these songs. Lyrics are an even stronger side of this album and something Nattsjäl will be known for. Even in “Of Chaos Supreme” and “I Marors Djup” they wrote excellent lyrics and this time they surprised me even better. Fact I like about this band is that there is no place for endless solo guitar riffs, endless screams or any other characteristic of extremity. Everything is dosed enough to make a perfect combination for one good song and an excellent album. As someone who follows them, one thing that is missing are official videos and there is much material from all three albums for a big number of them. There you go, new task for Nattsjäl to do and we will patiently wait.
