Album Rating: 5.0

Very very impressive album, I've been waiting for it for such a long time, and the result is way beyond my expectations... (such an upgrade on drums as well!)

Album Rating: 4.5

finished my first listen. just.. wow. That opener might be the best 27 minute long song i've ever heard.

"(such an upgrade on drums as well!)"

oh yeah john did an absolutely stunning job. i don't think any other drummer could have done this album justice - style wise he was perfect. we both enthuse about the same sort of stuff. he has a very... melodic approach, kinda? full of fills, cymbal work, energy. it isn't just about heaviness. about 8 years ago he introduced me to a bunch of early melodeath records and from there we ended up enthusing about that exact style of playing.

Album Rating: 5.0

Noctus, how long did it take you to write this?

it varies - i wrote it backwards pretty much

i started writing chasmal fires when i finished the last album and was more or less constructing it over the last 5-6 years

discarnate has been mentally done for 8 or so years

astral mariner has been mentally done for 15 years - i wrote it at the same time as 'echoes in the snow' from the last record but i knew it was so much bigger in scope and i needed so much more to pull it off than a 13/14 year old in a bedroom could pull off, so i waited.

Album Rating: 5.0

So, did you flesh out the songs over the years? Or did you spend most of the time trying to make it sound exactly you envisioned in your head?

that's right, yeah. life experience would lead to inspiration, riffs, melodies and i'd kinda sort out the puzzle in my head over time.

i did try and record them several times but i was never happy with how they sounded, which is a big reason it took so long. compositionally almost nothing has changed about these songs from how they were when i considered them 'done' a few years back.

i think a big thing was letting the record go and letting other people in to help out and giving them full freedom to do as they wanted - they ended up making something better than i could have. that was a huge learning curve for me as musician. spenser did a much better mix/master than i could have, john's drums are incredible, rich's basslines are so imaginative etc.

i gotta check this out. i have horrible memories of being a huge dickhead when you released your first album noctus so I gotta make up for it lmao.

hahaha it's cool, hope you enjoy it!

for the record i look back on the first album quite differently now. had i treated it the same as this it would be such a stronger album - the songwriting is there, the execution isn't. it was a necessary stepping stone.

Album Rating: 5.0

Yeah, I thought so. There's so much going on during certain passages yet everything flows so smoothly that I figured this work was the culmination of many things.



You must be feeling relieved to finally get the record out the door after so many years.

im positive I will I’ve been on a big black metal kick recently. throwing this on my bc wishlist.

it's such a mixture of feelings i can't pinpoint one. it's amazing being able to share it. holding it in was tough.

i'm glad i can rest a bit. the last year and a half has been an immense amount of work just for this album to exist - it's rewarding to finally see people listening to it and dedicating their time to it. i'm pretty close to breaking even too with the costs of making it, which is neat - didn't think that'd happen!

Album Rating: 4.5

I feel like you'll be able to rest on your laurels for a bit. I expect this will really blow up in the underground. Congrats man

for now all i'm thinking about is listening to eno and playing more stardew valley

much love all ♥ you're all wonderful

Album Rating: 4.5

idk who these goofy asses are rating this anything less than a 4 but . . . electric chair.

several of the sub 2.5 ratings came from before the album streamed so idk, people with a grudge?

the ones we were huge on were the jester race by in flames (now 100% one of my favourites of all time), the gallery by DT, he really loves that dissection record but i can't say i'm as huge on it as him. for me personally it didn't change so much the composition but the way i approched lead guitar with a more fluid manner - cyclical melodies and harmonies. some things were changed last minute during recording cus i thought of a harmony to go with it etc.

i think sputnik is a funny place because you've basically seen what... 10~ years of growth here? i've been a complete idiot here. said some totally ignorant things, been pretentious as shit. in some ways it's kinda nice to see that growth documented and in some ways it's kinda what this record is about - the arc. if i left a poor taste in people's mouth i'm sure there's a reason for it but i hope people will give this a fair shot with some retrospective in mind.

i joined this site when i was a misunderstood kid looking for something to be passionate about and passion can go both ways. you're either super stoked about something or you think it's the worst shit in the world. i'm 28 now and the last year and a half of this recording cycle has taught me how much i don't know rather than how much i do.

i still remember talking to so many people about dynamic range, audio quality etc. and when having this professionally mixed and mastered was the humbling moment that taught me "hey noctus yo, you don't have a fucking clue"

Album Rating: 5.0

@DarkNoctus - I don't even really like black metal, but I dig this. The album will probably grow to a 4.5 once I have more time with it. For my knowledge and perhaps others here, what is the best way to support you with this release? When I buy albums, I tend to only listen to those downloaded songs and then never stream them. Is one particular way more helpful to your bottom line? Congrats on the excellent album and here's to hoping that the warm reception continues and spreads beyond the confines of this site.

thank you, sowing! bandcamp's great, especially today. easier for me to keep track of too. much love!