Nocturnal Sorcery (FIN) – The Holy Law in Total Ruin CD

Black Metal

Hailing from the ever-fertile Finnish black metal underground, NOCTURNAL SORCERY made their public debut in 2014 with the Satanas Angels Victory Call demo. With vocalist/guitarist Maledictus Vult hailing from the cult Sadokist (he has since departed that band), it’d be erroneous to say that NOCTURNAL SORCERY were a completely brand-new entity. Nevertheless, they continued to feed the (freezing) fire with a split with Daemonlust in 2017 and then another demo, Symbols of Violent Death, in 2019. During all this, a number of successful local gigs took place. The stage thus set, NOCTURNAL SORCERY arrive with their long-awaited debut album, The Holy Law in Total Ruin. Aptly titled, The Holy Law in Total Ruin lays waste to unbelievers who say black metal must “progress” to survive. No, black metal doesn’t need to be more than what it already is – BLACK METAL – and NOCTURNAL SORCERY deeply understand this intrinsic truth as they unfurl nine screeds of hateful-yet-melodic classicism that’s paradigmatically Finnish through and through. While much of the album’s 46-minute runtime is composed of concise slices of cryogenic filth, NOCTURNAL SORCERY are just as adept at stretching compositions to extended lengths, patiently building tension and immersing the listener in the iciest waters. Completing the totality is the occasional inclusion of tastefully subtle synths.