Review by Dominik on October 27, 2026.

Non Est Deus. There Is No God. Quite a fitting name for a black metal project. However, "Blessings And Curses" takes a somewhat different approach compared to the band's very early albums, which, in my opinion, expressed the project's anti-religious stance rather more directly. Here, you stumble across prayers and confessions that, at first glance, sound almost devout. Just look at song titles like "Show Mercy", "Prayer I-III" or "Forgive Me". And suddenly you start wondering whether Non Est Deus has developed a severe case of religious conversion, turned into a Christian metal band and is about to release a Christmas album next. I don't think that's what is happening, though. At least from a lyrical perspective, everything here feels considerably more nuanced and sophisticated. Rather than simply attacking religion head-on, "Blessings And Curses" first lures the listener into the language of faith, hope and forgiveness, before it gradually reveals the burden of guilt, unquestioning obedience and institutionalized religious authority. In other words, you are invited to embrace a religious mindset, only to be confronted with its contradictions, moral dilemmas and oppressive potential further down the road. A rather clever little trap, all things considered. I had to put this up front, and I may be completely wrong with my interpretation, but I absolutely love it when a band's mastermind puts genuine effort into creating a coherent thematic framework for an album instead of simply opening the dictionary at "To Hell and Back in 200 Words" and calling it lyrical depth.

Musically, the album treads familiar waters. If anything, the Mgła influence has become even more prominent, which for some will be a blessing and for others a curse (hah, clever me, any similarity to the album title is, of course, entirely coincidental). I could now restart the never-ending discussion about first movers, originality, the fine line between influence and imitation, and the ethics of borrowing someone else's musical toolbox. But I won't. I stick to my principle that if music is performed with enough conviction to make it feel as if the people behind it have completely immersed themselves in what they are doing, I am perfectly happy to applaud the effort, of course provided the result delivers. And here it does.

"Blessings And Curses" is an excellent piece of black art that should appeal to anyone who likes their black metal forceful without being brutally mindless, memorable without becoming embarrassingly catchy, and atmospheric without disappearing up its own corpse-filled backside. All of this is wrapped in a production quality that many bands would probably sacrifice a minor deity for. The impressive overall presentation is completed by the cover artwork, which fits the album's atmosphere and thematic concept perfectly. It is light and dark, soothing and unsettling and thus suitably ambiguous. For me it feels less like decoration and more like another piece of the puzzle, what is exactly what good cover art should do.

The first proper song, and one of the album's finest moments, follows "Prayer I". "Show Mercy" is an outstanding entry into "Blessings And Curses". I promise you: after two listens, you will be humming the chorus while sitting in your bathtub filled with virgin blood. I hate using the word "catchy" in connection with black metal, but, well… this is catchy. There, I said it. Someone alert the Norwegian black metal police. Atmospherically, Non Est Deus could be compared to fellow Germans Mavorim. The band is not necessarily the fastest around, but it knows how to combine intense up-tempo passages with melodic yet hard-hitting reprieves. And it does so without ever sounding like a bunch of black metal posers who bought corpse paint yesterday and suddenly discovered Satan. At this point, it is also worth highlighting that Noise, the man behind Non Est Deus, is a remarkably versatile one-man talent. Whatever musical corner he chooses to occupy, he seems capable of turning it into a solid piece of craft. His work with Leiþa and Kanonenfieber provides further evidence that there is considerably more going on here than one bloke sitting in a dark room pressing "record" and waiting for the candles to burn down.

With "The Forsaken", another standout track, the lyrical content starts shifting towards something darker and more accusatory. In best Mgła style it begins with a haunting melody before morphing into a storm of up-tempo aggression. The song demonstrates once again how effectively Noise can fully embody a dark and ominous black metal tonal pitch without sacrificing clarity of articulation. You don't necessarily need the lyric sheet to figure out whether someone is aggressively reading the last horoscope or reciting a dark prayer from the Book of Lost Souls. And that is a compliment. An interlude follows, and I have to admit that I was initially slightly concerned about the three prayers. The intro, outro and short 30-second intermission could easily have become unnecessary interruptions in the flow of the album. Surprisingly, they don't. They actually feel well placed and function as integral parts of what is, overall, a remarkably cohesive piece of work.

"Transgression", another gem, is probably the most direct piece on the album. Mostly moving at a higher pace, it musically channels exactly what the lyrics attempt to convey: suffering, punishment and the consequences of daring to transgress against the highest authority. That towards the end, the tonal pitch shifts into cleaner territory just underlines the message of "pain is the consequence of hate, condemned for false pretense" rather effectively. "Kora" and "The Indulgence" also score convincingly. The formula remains intact, with Noise continuing to juggle atmosphere, mood, aggression and imploring messages with considerable skill. Especially the final minute of "The Indulgence" reminds you why accompanying Non Est Deus on this particular journey was a rather good decision after all.

So yes, another very good album. You shouldn't allow yourself to be distracted by the obvious influence of the Polish veterans. First, those similarities are by no means omnipresent. Second, Noise inserts enough of his own ideas, personality and craftsmanship into the formula to make "Blessings And Curses" much more than a Mgła tribute with a different name on the cover. There is no doubt that influences are unavoidable. The real question is what you do with them. Noise does quite a lot. And perhaps that is the real blessing hiding underneath all these curses.

Rating: 8.3 out of 10, because apparently even black metal has to attend church before it is allowed to go to hell.