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Nocternity Onyx This project sleets from the southern coast of Greece (motherland of Kawir, Necromantia, Rotting Christ and Vinterriket, to name a few) and it's comprised by two core members who are clearly keen on the bitter, moody, cold and subterranean dens of the Black Metal spectrum - being Onyx a working example of such impressions. Enclosing 6 hymns of pride and valour, Onyx is one of those impartial offerings that hardly keep you uninterested. It mixes equally mid-tempo dismal segments with faster parts in the Scandinavian vein (at times harking back the former works of Burzum in the instrumental unit, yet featuring sporadic synthesizer elements in contrast). One of the major aspects in this release is the rather efficient use of the guitar playing and drums, seeing as they help to get across an absorbing and primeval ambiance to Nocternity's medieval sonic empire, illustrating the lyrical branch with sizeable effect at the time of conveying its message. Despite a small couple of disappointments in the drum pieces, there's only an additional negative feature: the vocal lines; usually, they're somewhat common and useless, and if you want the right to be heard by screaming, you have to show a distinct and strong assault, otherwise it may hinder your arrangement. But luckily, that wasn't the case here, due to firm grip that each of these numbers present in other areas. When all it's said and done, there's no love lost (as Carcass would state) and I guess this judgment really fits Nocternity, as they hold a spectrum of their own, without having the necessity to pursue trends or sonorities treasured earlier by their countrymen; and I guess that's one of the splendours of Greece’s underground: no band ever sounds alike (and these fellows are worthy of some praise, just like any other renown ensemble from those southern shorelines). © 2004 The Lodge

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