Review Summary: The masters of melancholy release an ode to the four seasons, capturing the sorrow of the year as only they can
Nocturnal Depression, masters of the Depressive-Suicidal side of black metal here release a tribute to the four seasons of the year, with a depressive twist. Whilst DSBM is a genre often mocked or discarded by other black metal bands as not 'trve' or fake,
Nocturnal Depression throughout their careers have managed to overcome this and release many great albums, each a separate item of depression and melancholy.
Four Seasons is split into four sections, each one representing
Nocturnal Depressions outlook on that particular season, therefore I shall review each section separately.
Fjaer is the first season, the song is slow, in no hurry to go anywhere, it enters with a slow tremolo riff that is truly emotional, sad, yet at the same time, thought provoking. This riff continues for a couple of minutes before the vocals join, and continues throughout the rest of the song. When the vocals kick in, whilst they aren't anything special for the genre, in terms of this song, they are perfect, capturing the melancholy and atmosphere that the song aims to create perfectly. Whilst there is little variation throughout the song in terms of melody or riff, it doesn't matter because what this song aims to do is to pull you into a trance, and ensnare you there for their for its entirety.
Enter
Sommer enters with a repeating chord and simple drum beat, the vocalist screams every once in a while. This continues for a while, after a while a simple melody enters over the top. The vocals then start truly, echoing slightly, they add a depth to the song, this song is not on par with the previous, lacking the same emotional element seen in Spring. This song features a change half way through to a clean arpeggio structure which is joined after a while by a chugging electric guitar and the vocals, this half in my opinion is greater than the first half, its more evocative and melancholic, which is what you hope to get from a
Nocturnal Depression song. This continues till the end of the song. Whilst this is still a good song, its outdone by the ones surrounding it.
Host (Autumn) begins with a very slow clean arpeggio guitar, very melancholic a slow counter melody joins after a couple of minutes, dragging you deep into its embrace, drums join, slowly building up levels, all the while creating the deep sorrowful atmosphere that this band is known for. Whispered vocals join, barely audible amongst the rest of the band. This then explodes into a fully fledged, though the arpeggio guitar is still present, its joined by a chugging electric guitar, and screamed vocals. The song really comes alive at this point, all the while never breaking the melancholic atmosphere it strove to build over the first few minutes. The song changes to lose the electric guitar for a while, just the arpeggio and drums with the vocals mourning over the top. This continues till the song ends.
Host is much better than the previous track, creating a much great atmosphere that climbs throughout.
Vinter explodes on you like a blizzard of fast guitar riffs and heavy blast beats, this is by far the fastest song on the album, which is surprising given that its supposed to represent winter, unless the band were trying to capture a blizzard. the atmosphere present on the other songs is present here, but more in the theme of isolation than simple melancholy, the vocals are more forward here than on other songs where they are more distant sounding. Halfway through the song it changes, pulling back to become a more mid-paced song like the others, but losing none of its intensity. At this point the vocal line becomes more depressive than ever, truly sounding despairing. Along with
Fjaer this is the best season on the release, just for atmosphere and the emotional response the listener experiences. The song continues at this pace for the remainder of the track, varying only slightly as it does, before reaching its climax at the end.
And so ends the year,
Nocturnal Depression have released here a wonderful album, each song is a small wonder, each an ode to the melancholy and sadness. Whilst falling slightly in the middle, it nonetheless carries itself throughout, truly capturing an emotional intensity that others in the DSBM all try and come short in. Any fan of black metal, even if not a DSBM one, should check this out.
