Review by Emma on May 7, 2010.

‘Ingratuu Maate Langentii’ starts as a quiet evening walk. It’s not too cold outside, jackets optional. One finds the further they walk the thicker the trees become. It is no longer a walk as much as haphazard hacking through sticky branches when suddenly the earth drops from your feet- open the inner gorge. Evening turns to night as a muddy path through the rest of the track leads to the bottom.
‘Sombre Fortu’- the stillest pond-carrying the butterfly’s moan from one end to the other. Invisible/invincible/divisible voices. Mourning? Mocking? What are they saying? Where do they take those who listen?
‘Yrg Alms’ continues wending down paths of this interior/exterior reflective landscape, a sigh here, a breath there. Take your time to, just don’t get lost.

One partly wishes they could translate the Cirque Du Soleil lyrics in hopes they might begin to reveal what the quiet-self is seeking, but the mythical aspect they add is so strong one is simultaneously afraid to know in fear of discovering it to be grocery list in disguise.

OK for a traditional description of what to expect here: Progressive Black Metal wrapped with Ambient and experimental moments. I’m going to say it: if you like most bands on the Southern Lord or Starlight Temple labels, you’ll definitely want to check out this release by Njiqahdda. They have so much more material than "Yrg Alms" that I would be hesitant to say you’d like anything by Njiqahhda (because I personally have yet to survey it all myself), but Experimental Black Metal junkies will want to check this out. I was not particularly struck by this album first time around because I can’t say its unlike anything else I’ve heard before, but it is for sure a piece worth sitting down with more than once, preferably in a quiet low-energy environment.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 10
Production: 8
Originality: 8.5
Overall: 9

Rating: 8.7 out of 10