Review by Felix on February 4, 2024.

A fantastic artwork is always a good thing and the one of Aara new full-length screams for the vinyl format. Yet even the best cover is not crucial for the quality of an album and in terms of music, Aara do not fail, but they also do not reach the class of their cover. Their melody lines design broad pictures, while the extremely distorted voice sets a contrast. The mix of these components is not a new stylistic device and it works sometimes better and sometimes worse. This is true in general as well as with Aara in particular. Some of the melodies are convincing, others are beaten into nirvana by a nervous, hectic drummer, for example in the opener. Somehow these guys are experts in suffocating the possible flair of their own melody lines. “Triade III: Nyx” never sounds kitschy or sticky, but a little less drama (as well as a slihtly more natural voice) would have been advisable at times. For example, the spheric keyboards in the first part of “Moribunda” create a pretty dubious atmosphere. This track has its best moments whenever the keyboards do not disturb.

However, Aara are definitely able to lend their songs an interesting atmosphere from time to time. “Unstern” with its short sacral elements demonstrates this very well and, by the way, its unrelenting parts are pretty impressive, too. Especially this song profits from the dense production. It is a bit polished and appears very modern, nevertheless it is still a good and powerful one. Bad tongues could blame it for sterility, but in my humble opinion, the sound is neither too clean nor soulless. Just don't expect the freezing coldness of some (Scandinavian) underground releases.

My personal highlight is “Des Wanderers Traum”. Despite its nearly romantic name (“Dream of the Wanderer”), it does not house dreamy tones. Instead, a fiery, perfectly flowing song reveals its might. The guitars have enough space to leave their flavour by forming fantastic lines, the single parts go hand in hand and the emotional ending sets the final exclamation mark. Those of you who like the big pictures of bands such as Winterfylleth will enjoy this piece and probably the whole album wholeheartedly. The Swiss formation has potential and I am sure that they have put heart and soul into this release. However, I cannot say that I feel the spirit of black metal when listening to this full-length. Therefore I am not fully convinced of “Triade III: Nyx”, in particular in view of the gargantuan number of Aara’s competitors in the global scene.

Rating: 6.3 out of 10

Review by TheOneNeverSeen on March 24, 2023.

Less than a year after what was their best album at the time, Mountain, River and J. conjured another piece of epic and excellently executed atmospheric/melodic black metal, which is, or at least should be, the end of their brilliant album trilogy entitled Triade III: Nyx. I have done the research for you: Nyx is an ancient Greek goddess and personification of night. Every day is a learn day, as they say. So, while I’m not sure if this album beats Triade II: Hemera (not many songs can compare with 'Adonaia’s Elegien' and 'Sonne Der Nacht'), it definitely has the potential to do so, for, containing all the elements previously employed in Aara’s music, it offers even more memorable riffs and melodies which are unlikely to leave any melodic black metal fan indifferent.

For the most part, the songwriting style used by the band remains the same, but the sound is somewhat different from that of the previous full-lengths. First of all, Fluss’s astonishing sibilant vocals are a little quieter and much better integrated into the music, a bit like on Phthonos, a release which I personally deem one of the best by Aara. As always, the lines don’t strike you with their diversity, but, considering the band is balancing between atmospheric and melodic black, it’s not a huge problem. The guitar sound is even cleaner than on Triade II: Hemera and is a bit softer than on Phthonos. Aside from those positive improvements, there is also a negative one: J. clearly has an unhealthy relationship with his bass drum, indulging himself in dull and boring blast beats on 'Heimgesucht' and 'Moribunda'. Thankfully, this is not a major problem on this particular album and I hope J. will not overuse this style of playing in the future considering how much of a skilled drummer he is.

As for the melodies and the mood they create, the album, like the rest of Aara’s works, balances between intensity and melancholy with one of them prevailing on some tracks (the former on 'Heimgesucht' and 'Unstern', and the latter – on 'Emphase Der Seelenpein' and 'Des Wanderers Traum') and combining with each other on others ('Moribunda', 'Edo Et Edam'). Overall, though, both feelings are to some extent present in each song, creating an ambivalent and uneven atmosphere – the best element of Aara’s music. The use of clean "symphonic" vocals ('Moribunda', 'Des Wanderers Traum') and keyboards ('Heimgesucht', 'Emphase Der Seelenpein') also contributes to it significantly. The album’s riffs are very strong as always with the most remarkable one undoubtedly being that of the album’s first single and also my personal favorite by the band so far – 'Emphase Der Seelenpein'. The melancholic yet captivating atmosphere of that song certainly places it among the most impressive black metal I have heard this year. The main riffs of 'Unstern' and 'Edo Et Edam' are also awesome and remind me of the best songs by Wolves In The Throne Room, one of my favorite bands in the genre.

In conclusion, Triade III: Nyx is an excellent example of modern atmospheric black metal. Not overly repetitive, Burzum-worshipping 20-minute songs with guitars that sound like toasters, but a dark, powerful and diverse record with remarkable melodies and a captivating atmosphere. I really hope Aara become a big name in the genre, for they really deserve it.

Rating: 8 out of 10