Nightgrave – Nascent (Review)

This is the latest album from Indian one man atmospheric black metal band Nightgrave.

Here we have 44 minutes of material that is chiefly atmospheric black metal, but also incorporates doom and post-metal aspects too.

The music on this album is a gradually unfolding journey into dark, otherworldly realms. Mixing ethereal ambience with dissonant aggression, this is a release that revels in setting itself challenging musical goals, and usually achieves them too.

This can be considered quite experimental in some ways due to the unusual and atypical components that make up the songs. Some of the riffs, ideas, structures, drums, and atmospheres created throughout these tracks are not the kind of things that you usually encounter, and the music of Nascent is an impressive and enjoyable listen because of this. There’s a beauty here that’s no less captivating because of its non-standard nature.

This is a largely instrumental album, but there are vocals. These rage, tear, howl, and scream, as well as croon and sing. Their scarcity only widens their appeal when they appear.

What a varied, rich, and well-written album this is. Each song is like a mini-epic, and they all slot into each other and flow together perfectly. Nightgrave’s soundscapes are involving, nuanced, and atmospherically immersive. Nascent is a first-rate listen, and one that you need to check out if you value quality music.