Noltem – Illusions in the Wake Review

Atmospheric Black Metal bands always surprise me. I swear that the melodies built are the thing that catches my attention mostly. Noltem are a melody builder band, if you know what I mean. There is such a devilish happiness and beauty in all songs especially in the opening track “Figment” with an amazing guitar solo as intro and astonishing rhythm guitars embellishing the area to the vocals come in such a devil’s beauty. Pay close attention to the drums fillings in the intro how they fill the spaces with lots of sounds giving the song a kind of accomplishment feeling. Obviously, as my dear fan knows, I’m stuck with the contrasts this kind of genre does.

It’s amazing how Noltem built such melodies with simple strummings and drums fillings. By the way, second and tittle track, “Illusions in the Wake” has some wonderful drums fillings. The driving idea of Atmospheric Black Metal is to create the musical idea of dead nature moods as if they were creating its musical peer. “Beneath the Dreaming Blue” gives the fan the idea of nature’s powerful forces to destroy human works. The instrumentals and vocals mean as if nature were destrying mankind and the hipocrisy. Of course, this is the way I see it and from where I’m standing I’m not that wrong. Maybe the right words that would fit better are blizzards or storms or even earthquakes and volcanes all force of nature that could easily wipe makind from this sad and lonely and pathetic little planet. Maybe, just be “Submerged” intents to deliver the message. It seems that “Ruse” tells a story like this when those supreme nature forces strike so hard mankind that our civilization fades away in a bunchful of sorrow and sadness. My mind goes far away while listening to “Illusions in the Wake.”

I don’t think Noltem intended to deliver all these I wrote but its really a possible parallel reality that the band may create with its music. As we all know Extreme Metal bands aren’t known for delivering the strongest messages via their lyrics. However everything may be possible, isn’t it? “Illusions in the Wake” makes us think about it and just wonder what if. I leave you my dear fan and child of the night with the what if.

Noltem “Illusions in the Wake” will be released on October 15th via Transcending Obscurity Records.

Track Listing:

  1. Figment
  2. Illusions in the Wake
  3. Beneath the Dreaming Blue
  4. Submerged
  5. Ruse
  6. On Shores of Glass

Watch “Illusions in the Wake” official video here: