Review by Vladimir on July 23, 2023.

It’s time to bring back the Brazilian metal attack, because I’ll be taking a look at a black metal band Nocturnal Force from Curitiba, Paraná and their brand-new EP The Kingdom Of Hatred, released on July 12th, 2023. 

The EP begins with an instrumental ambient intro which from the very get-go provides a solid build up to what is coming next, while also setting the tone of the EP. As the second track 'Encantamentos Mórbidos' kicks in, we get the in-your-face tremolo black metal riffs with drums that switch between fast Darkthrone beats and mid-tempo drumming while the vocals are your traditional harsh and frostbitten screaming. On top of this, there are some symphonic and atmospheric bits with synths that appear on the third track 'Forças De Satã (Guerras Profanas)', which also throws in these occasional melodic guitar lines and guitar solos alongside thrashy riffs that altogether provide some different but interesting vibe. However, there are moments when the EP seems to stray off and lose track of itself, especially on tracks 'Necromancy' and 'Blackened Thrash Metal', which have a completely different sound production and deviates so much from the rest. Both of these tracks have a much more unpolished and raw sound compared to other songs, whereas 'Necromancy' also has a bit more synth sections than other songs. There are two instrumental tracks, 'Cryptic Invocatio' and 'Blackened Thrash Metal', both of which provide their own flavor, such as groovy riffs on 'Cryptic Invocatio'. The EP is pretty simple and straightforward when it comes to the overall execution from the band, with dynamic but generally unexaggerated songwriting which contains some thrashy and groovy elements alongside your usual black metal. I personally think that the music on this EP is solid, but not strong enough for me to grasp its riffs or entire songs, despite how hard they try to do their best. That’s not to say it’s bad or terrible, far from it, but the songs don’t really provide anything that could stand out or create some personal attachment with the listener and the music. As I mentioned, the sound production differs on some songs drastically from the rest, which I must admit confused me because it deviates so much. I honestly think that these songs would have worked better as bonus tracks, because they just feel like they don’t fit with the rest or that they were probably rushed and the band had no time to re-record or mix and master them. Something that I can’t wrap my head around is the title for the final track 'Blackened Thrash Metal', because I honestly don’t understand the use of such an uninspired and non-creative name for a song. Could it be that the band were out of ideas or was it a placeholder name for the song that simply ended up being used in the end. 

Personally, this EP isn’t anything special, but overall, it was an alright listening experience and it didn’t hurt that I gave it a chance. I am not sure if I could add anything else other than to suggest that you check it out if you’re curious to know what it is, especially if you came across this band on social media by any chance. 

Rating: 7 out of 10