Hail, you nocturnal wanderers of the Black Metal Archives – Sean here, and tonight we’re howling beneath the Swedish moon with Dödsrit’s latest opus, Nocturnal Will. This is the band’s fourth full-length, and it’s a record that finds Dödsrit sharpening their melodic black metal blade, blending triumphant atmosphere, crusty aggression, and a melancholy that lingers like frost on gravestones.
Nocturnal Will is a masterclass in dynamic, emotionally charged black metal. Dödsrit’s signature is all over this album: shimmering, frosty guitar leads, thunderous d-beat drumming, and vocals that roar with both pain and defiance. From the opening epic Irjala, the band wastes no time weaving together light and darkness-soaring melodies crash against a wall of relentless percussion, while the vocals cut through like a midnight wind.
The album’s production is both organic and powerful, allowing every instrument to breathe. The interplay between guitarists Christoffer Öster and Georgios Maxouris is especially potent, with twin leads swooping and soaring on tracks like Utmed Gyllbergens Stig and Celestial Will. The rhythm section- Jelle Soolsma on bass and Brendan Duffy on drums- anchors the chaos, propelling the songs with both punkish energy and black metal grandeur.
Irjala opens the album with a 10-minute journey through hope and despair, its lyrics painting a coalition between heaven and hell, and the music matching that scale with sweeping crescendos and mournful refrains.
Nocturnal Fire stands out for its passionate, uplifting melodies and a stunning guest solo by M. of Lamp of Murmuur moment that’s already turning heads in the underground.
Ember and Ash and Utmed Gyllbergens Stig serve as instrumental interludes, offering brief moments of introspection amid the storm.
As Death Comes Reaping is another epic, stretching over 10 minutes and channeling both violence and beauty in equal measure. The lyrics are a eulogy to the end, carved in sorrow and grief.
Celestial Will closes the album with a sense of tragic triumph, its melodies soaring even as the lyrics descend into the depths of suffering and regret.
Throughout, Dödsrit balances aggression and atmosphere, never sacrificing one for the other. The result is a record that feels both heroic and mournful, a true testament to the band’s evolution.
Nocturnal Will is Dödsrit at their most dynamic and emotionally resonant album which channels both the grandeur of classic black metal and the rawness of crust punk. It’s a record that aches with nostalgia and grief, yet burns with a will to survive. For those who crave black metal that’s both furious and uplifting, this is a must-listen.
Crank it loud, let the nocturnal fire burn within, and tell me- does Nocturnal Will leave you in ashes, or does it set your soul alight?
RATING: 4.5 OUT OF 5
RATING SYSTEM:
0: Fucking shit
1: Shit
2: Not Bad Shit
3: Pretty Good Shit
4: Amazing Fucking Shit
5: The Best Shit You Will Ever Hear
Label Source: Wolves of Hades
