Review Summary: Experimentation yields mixed results.
Nox Vorago is a relatively unknown Symphonic Death/Black metal band hailing from Gothenburg, Sweden. This album is relatively atypical for its area, sounding more like a quirkier Fleshgod Apocalypse then traditional Gothenburg Melodeath. The enjoyment of this album, for this reason, is especially hard to gauge. Erratic keyboard clashes with near Metalcore-level chugs paired off with gargantuan growls that are over enunciated yet not quite understandable. It’s both self destructive and endearing in nature. At the very least, it showcases the immense levels of creativity and, for lack of a better term, balls Nox Vorago has here. In each moment it’s both gratingly awkward, admirably intriguing and at times insanely catchy. This is especially present off the closing track, “At the Feet of Ereshkigal” which has wonky, Halloween-esque synths that transition into glorious orchestras alongside hardcore tremolos and black metal rasps. The contrast of sounds off this album is stark, for better or for worse. At the very least, it’s hardly forgettable.
The guitar work on this album ranges anywhere from somewhat monotonous and over abundant with boring chugs to legitimately crushing, more so being the former. It does still stand out fairly well at certain points, such as the opening riff off of “Elenu Tiamatu” however it is generally overshadowed by the vocals and symphonies. This can be somewhat attributed to problems with the mixing, however it is more so the sheer level of intrigue that the vocals and symphonies present that allow the riffs to slide under the radar. The same can be said about the drumming-good fills pop in and out, and when they do they are absolutely stellar, otherwise it’s just fairly standard blast beats. The vocals, however, are far from standard. There isn’t any truly fair way I could describe them other then something like the bellowing of a gravel-voiced giant. There simply isn’t a truly deserving way to describe the vocals without doing them an injustice, however they do add a certain sense of curiosity to the music, almost as if the band themselves didn’t quite know what this record was meant to be.
That’s both the amusement of this album and the Achilles heel. It sounds like the band mix and mashed various extreme metal styles and layered symphonies over them to see what they could get out of it. At points it’s questionable but still incredible (At the Feet of Ereshkigal) and at other points it’s uncomfortable and meandering (Devourer of Dreams). If there’s something to be taken from this record, it’s that experimentation yields extremely varying results, and that it’s through the competence and talent present in the musician that experimentation bears a fruit worthy of praise. “Al Chem”, unfortunately, is deserving of a halfhearted applause.
