Nightland – The Great Nothing Review

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Throughout the five years I’ve been writing reviews for this prestigious page I had the opportunity and extreme happiness of running into lots of great bands with sonancies I would never expect to find. There are bands that I reviewed here that surprised me very much. It’s no secret when I write about a band that surprises me I say it right away. Full of adjectives and qualities. Here I’ve got a pretty nice sample of what I’m saying. This Nightland “The Great Nothing” surprised the hell of me. It’s not only the combination of Extreme Metal features with Symphonic and some modern stuff, it’s also the mood and the emotion the band delivers. This exploding and bombastic combination got me by the guts.

No, “The Great Nothing” isn’t fast as hell, but it’s heavy as a ton and harder than steel. By the way, what to say about an album named “The Great Nothing”? Well, I guess the name says a lot as we as a kind are going to the great nothingness of existence as our planet will soon be a great nothing. The album reflects all this. It’s not only the emotion but the despair and hopelessness that are onboard. Ludovico Cioffi’s voice passes all these pretty well. Also does the instrumental which varies per track following the mood, and the contents, of the lyrics. The album is a lesson of how to make instrumentals, lyrics and vocals walk together side by side to mean the same ideal. Hard to tell if it is feeling of solitude and emptiness that talks louder or the despair and nothingness. I really don’t know.

The album starts a little shy, I must say. Album opener “The Conjunction of Benetnash” sounds at first a little symphonic and grand with lots of pomp. The sound of the horns give this greatness and grandness the song iniatilly delivers. But soon, little by little, the mood changes completely. The vagueness takes on and the album finally goes giving its contribution to this feeling of the millenia. I’d say that the album has a larger than life feeling but I guess it doesn’t fit in this case. Life here means no more life. The empty existence took over and left the room. Loneliness is the key. Nothing else. Mere mortals like us have only the nice and beautiful tunes Nightland gracefully gave us. Enjoy the end and the void.

Nightland “The Great Nothing” will be released on November 19th via Scarlet Records.

Track Listing:

  1. The Conjunction of Benetnash
  2. For Once My Name
  3. Shade of a Lowering Star
  4. Further
  5. Megaparsecs
  6. The Great Nothing pt. 1 Of Seeking and Straying
  7. The Great Nothing pt. 2 The Reliever
  8. The Great Nothing pt. 3 Pursuers of Absolution

Watch “Further” official video here: