Nachtmystium - Assassins - Black Meddle Pt. I - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Over the last two decades, American bands have been stretching the boundaries of black metal. One such band redefining the borders of the beloved (and severely protected) genre is Illinois's Nachtmystium. An interesting study in the evolution of modern metal in the US, Nachtmystium blends multiple genre staples and a unique vision with the essential roots of black metal. Founded by controversial figure Blake Judd, the band immediately gained followers for their unconventional breakout album Instinct Decay. Excited by their new sound but spurred by the antics of Blake Judd, Assassins Black Meddle, Part 1 had many fans wondering if black metal in the US could ever see the kind of legitimacy it's worked so hard to achieve. On this 10-year anniversary of Assassins Black Meddle, Part 1, perhaps new and old fans alike will take a chance to revisit this emotional record and bear witness to the story and the journey of Nachtmystium. Prophecy Productions is excited and honored to reissue Assassins Black Meddle, Part 1 on it's 10-year anniversary. The last decade has seen many changes for the Nachtmystium, it's members, and the entirety of the metal genre. This record captures the very essence of internal conflict with destructiveness of choice and the idealism of youth and fame. Sang with the sorrow and hollowness embodied by blackened metal, Assassins Black Meddle, Part 1 is a new record for a problem ever-married to rock and roll fame indulgence, self-medication, and escapism. Album Tracks 1. One of These Nights 2. Assassins 3. Ghosts of Grace 4. Away from Light 5. Your True Enemy 6. Code Negative 7. Omnivore 8. Seasick (Part 1 Drowned at Dusk) 9. Seasick (Part 2 Oceanborne) 10. Seasick (Part 3 Silent Sunrise)

Reformed American black metallers Nachtmystium have returned from the shadows on new EP, InchResilient,Inch their first for Prophecy Productions. Spearheaded by enigma Blake Judd, the reconfigured Nachtmystium picks up where acclaimed full-lengths InchThe World We Left BehindInch and InchSilencing MachineInch left off but sheds unprecedented darkness on Judd's artistic turmoil. The violent introspection spread across InchResilientInch's three tracks takes Nachtmystium through new nightmarish landscapes as the group pivot into slower tempi with washes of melancholy as the main sonic driver. Joining Nachtmystium leader Blade Judd are keyboardist Job 'Phenex' Bos, a Dutchman living in Bergen, Norway, where he moonlights with German black metallers Dark Fortress and performs live with black metal icons Satyricon and black-doom luminaries The Ruins of Beverast; bassist Martin van Valkenstijn, a Germany-based musician, who's played live with legends Empyrium, Sun of the Sleepless, and The Vision Bleak, forms half the rhythm section; and drummer Jean Graffio, an American musician, is the other half. Graffio also drums for California-based black metallers Sumeria. InchResilientInch is the start of a new chapter for Judd and Nachtmytium. The EP kicks off with the title track, a full-bodied churn of sadness, desperation, and determination. The main melody is powered by a dreamy keyboard line with Judd employing a despairing riff as counterpoint. InchSilver LanternsInch is more traditional Nachtmystium but with a shimmering centerpiece. Between the half-blasts and tremeloed riffs, the keyboards act as a foil, providing lift to the overall song. InchDesert IlluminationInch is almost uplifting in it's doom-like tempo and sing-song melody line. That, however, is crushed when Nachtmystium invert the motif for a more malicious coda. Available in Digipak, Vinyl and Deluxe Artbook w/ l

Nachtmystium are back! And after all that was said and done, mastermind Blake Judd is still standing. Not only that, but Judd has also clawed himself back from the abyss of a most extreme life imaginable to a much more quiet, observant, and matured artist and person. His return will not be met with universal applause - even from the black metal scene. For anybody following the tumultuous career of Blake Judd and his pioneering band that has pushed the borders of their genre into new territories, this comes hardly as a surprise. With their ninth studio album InchBlight PrivilegeInch, Nachtmystium are once again presenting a masterpiece that can even compete with the trilogy of albums that many view as the peak of the earlier career of the American black metal (USBM) trailblazers InchInstinct DecayInch (2006), InchAssassins Black Meddle Pt. IInch (2008), and InchAddicts Black Meddle Pt. IIInch (2010). Like an infernal sniper, every song on InchBlight PrivilegeInch hits straight on target. All the darkest elements, required and longed for, are there harsh, rasping vocals, the fierce hum and whirr of guitars burning with an ice cold fire, moments of ecstatic and exalted beauty in hellish soundscapes. Yet there are also those fine details that the musically well-versed Judd has always cunningly hidden in the general sonic onslaught such as post-punk and wave elements, and now even a knife-tip of outlaw country. InchBlight PrivilegeInch connects Nachtmystium to it's glory-days - not as a nostalgic reminiscence but as a forward-looking continuation and next evolutionary step. If anything, this ninth album is marked by a maturity derived from experience and learning. Judd's often diabolically catchy tunes are sharper than ever and have lost none of their bite. This might be due to the fact that it is the first album of the USBM spearheads which Judd composed in a fully s