Review by TheOneNeverSeen on February 20, 2023.

Following the two 2020 singles, 'Acta Non Verba' and 'Wolfpack' (not to be confused with the Sabaton song), Lotan released their first EP including the aforementioned tracks and three new songs. In my opinion, Nihil Sacrum is an enjoyable and well-executed release that most fans of the genre will probably deem decent at least and captivating at most.

The quickest way to describe the mood conveyed by the combination of riffs and vocals would probably be "Amon Amarth with Dark Funeral sound". The riffs of 'Acta Non Verba' and 'Tenebrae Subit' sound as if they escaped from a post-2007 AA record, while the 3:39-4:22 part of 'Deus Mortuorum' would definitely fit a 'Diabolis Interium' song. Yet, the band doesn't merely mimic the two bands, instead creating a curious blend of the adventurous spirit of Amon Amarth riffs and melodic guitar passages of Dark Funeral with some original elements such as the melody of 'Pulvis Et Umbra Sumus' or a more black metal but not too Dark Funeral-y riff of 'Wolfpack'. The key inspiration for the vocal style is hard to identify, but I would say it is a bit similar to Jon Nödtveidt's and Emperor Caligula's.

Speaking of the album's riffing, it's not very diverse, but consistent and not too repetitive. The EP's length is an ideal format for such songwriting style, I believe: a lengthier record, with, say, 10 songs written in the same fashion would just seem boring at a certain point. The best songs in my opinion are 'Deus Mortuorum', which, due to its length offers the most interesting development and 'Acta Non Verba', the melody and the atmosphere of which are the most remarkable.

I haven't managed to find the album's lyrics anywhere, but from what I have deciphered, they are the traditional i-am-so-cool-grim-and-satanist kind of thing, not too uniform, but not particularly stunning, either.

So, Nihil Sacrum is perfect for a debut EP. It has cool riffs, strong vocals and is successful at creating the atmosphere it tries to create. However, I wish the band doesn't stick with their current style too much and tries to expand their boundaries in the future and I hope we see more creativity on their upcoming full-length.

Rating: 8 out of 10