Review by Fernando on November 3, 2024.

Back in the 2000s black metal had a bit of a big spotlight thanks to what was nebulously described as the “third wave of black metal” out of the US, and regardless of how you apply that description, Nachtmystium was a name that was well regarded, at the time at least. Yes, the band has a bad rap on account of frontman and founder Blake Judd, who due to circumstances related to addiction and unsavory merch scams, has become a maligned black sheep in the world of black metal, though I find it ironic that some metalheads will make a lot of excuses for bigotry, assault, and even homicide, but draw the line at scamming and bootlegging, but I digress. After a prolonged period of silence and attempts at retiring from black metal altogether, Blake Judd has resurrected Nachtmystium once again with Blight Privilege.

Anyone familiar with Nachtmystium’s music knows that the band really hit their stride when Judd started incorporating elements of industrial, prog, post-punk, and everything in between within the context of black metal. Despite going through a lot of trials and tribulations, Blake Judd’s talents haven’t diminished in any way, if anything he sounds rejuvenated. For starters, this record is the most hard-hitting and intense Nachtmystium has sounded in over a decade. The album opens with the morose 'Survivor’s Remorse', after an appropriately off-kilter dialogue sample the track roars with blast beats and Judd’s signature style of tortured riffs, which are then complemented with sorrowful synths.

Before I get into the music, I want to highlight the performances, not just Judd, but his new session drummer, Francesco Miatto, who is not just an excellent drummer, but his eclectic and dynamic drumming really makes Judd’s compositions soar. From blast beats to more rhythmic proggy beats and even some d-beats, Miatto’s drumming is by far and without exception the highlight of the record from beginning to end. But that’s not to say Judd is slagging, on the contrary, I already mentioned how the band sounds rejuvenated, and that’s in large part due to Judd being able to overcome and survive the demons that plagued him in years past, and you can hear it in his signature anguished vocals, his excellent riffage, the way he plays the synths and his songwriting. There’s a real sense of catharsis in the songs, despite how oppressive and despondent a lot of the music’s atmosphere and mood is. The overall experience is a sense of survival, going through the darkest tunnel and making it out alive, exhausted, beaten, and drained, but alive nonetheless.

Additional props have to be given to the rest of Judd’s collaborators, who not only helped to crystalize his vision, Matt Thomas providing additional solos and even lap-steel guitar for some bizarre but catchy soundscapes, and Ken Sorceron who aside from mixing and mastering the album (more on that in a bit), plays the bass, and much like Miatto, Sorceron’s bass lines are outstanding, serving not only as backing to the guitars, but providing a groove and depth that enhances the music’s aggression and melody.

The final aspect I want to highlight is the production, and this is where I do have some minor gripes, mainly in how the instruments coalesce together, while I’m not going to fault the band, or rather project as it is now, for not sounding very organic given how Judd is now operating Nachtmystium as a studio-only endeavor and working from his home, the overall sound does come off a bit compressed, not loud, but for example, the synths and guitars are a bit too overwhelming in the mix, they overshadow a lot of the bass and drums, the vocals are also slightly overemphasized, and while Judd still sounds good, the use of reverb makes the vocals louder than they probably should, at least for my taste, and the guitar solos while great, also take a lot of space in the mix.

While the overall production does come off a bit unbalanced and messy, Judd and co. managed to save it by performing at the top of their game and the excellent songwriting still manages to shine. So in that sense, this come-back record is as good as it could’ve been. It displays the best elements of Nachtmystium while feeling fresh and renewed, and while we (and Judd himself) don’t know what comes next for Nachtmystium, this was a great new entry into a near flawless back catalog of extreme and experimental metal.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Jeger on October 18, 2024.

Blake Judd and Nachtmystium have, despite their polarizing nature, risen as the cream of the USBM scene - blackened psychedelia as realized through the release of records that break ground, all the while as the band has remained nourished upon true BM’s sacred taproot - a style of play that encapsulates not only the dire nature of the human condition but also the American ethos. UADA? Wolves In The Throne Room? Even as excellent as these bands are, they fall short when compared to the soul, the complexity, and the overall creativity of Nachtmystium. 

The music comes from the heart! From the aching spirit that has felt true Hell on Earth: addiction, destitution, incarceration, and complete dehumanization - gravely lyrical digs to unearth a skeletal harvest of memories and experiences most dreadful - the stuff of BM legend. Now, we stand upon the cusp of a long-awaited new record release from Nachtmystium; one that deals in all of the above-mentioned horrors, but also strife on both national and global levels. The time has come for Blake’s voice to be heard once again! Are you ready for it? Or are you stuck in the past? Shit, man, I literally pawned my mother’s jewelry for crack money and bankrupted my family before I got clean. That doesn’t even scratch the surface of a lifetime’s worth of transgressions. There are people out there who are suffering beyond the reach of words as the result of this disease and its impact on not only the afflicted but also their loved ones, but yeah, tough break on not getting your T-shirt ten years ago. Cry me a fucking river… On November 1, 2024, Nachtmystium will release Blight Privilege via Prophecy / Lupus Lounge Records. 

Over the years, Blake has proven to be a musical prodigy whose vision for the genre has produced some of the most versatile records the USBM movement has ever seen, from the paradigm shift between Assasins: Black Meddle Pt. I and Addicts: Black Meddle Pt. II to the spectrum-spanning nature of Resilient as it represents the gradual change from misery to rebirth and on to the forthcoming album that details both personal and societal woes. And the music? Like no other artist, like no other band - wholly original - unique to its core and magisterial as far as complexity/imaginativeness. With Blight Privilege, Blake and Nachtmystium hold nothing back; providing their label and their devout fans with what is the most well-thought-out recording ever created under the Nachtmystium banner: melodic, rhythmic, and even more atmospheric. But the top selling point is the level of artistic maturity that is put on display with tracks like 'Predator Phoenix' and 'Conquistador'. No excessive blast-beating or hemorrhaging of repetitive tremolo riffs; only wisely composed and accessible material that not only appeals to the purist but also to those of us who happen to be of the mind that some black metal is deserving of attributes such as quality engineering, crisp tonality and lulling melodic sequences. 

'Blind Spot' - a clinic in riffing and a melodious siren song, complete with entrancing leads and savory mid-tempo rhythmic patterns. It just doesn’t get much sweeter. A full gamut of project-defining soundscapes and stylistic subtleties conveyed through a synergy of melodic and psychedelic black metals. Ah, perfection… The experience culminates with the titular track - that familiar twang and further still into the realm of total and complete mystification as each blissful second of runtime unfolds to the profoundness of Blake’s hope-inspiring lyrical connotations. 

A lifetime of suffering encapsulated within Nachtmystium’s entire discography: addiction, hopelessness, and despair - the stuff of nightmares, until now. Hope and a new life birthed through perseverance; a long time coming. And as far as the naysayers who can’t let the past die? I genuinely feel sorry for you. Blight Privilege is the culmination of an entire career journey that began underground, rose to the fabled realm of mainstream notoriety and has now landed Blake and crew in the proverbial zone; that place of dominance and total confidence in their craft. A perfect record from top to bottom.

Rating: 10 out of 10