Band:	Nachtmystium
Album:	Assassins: Black Meddle, Part 1
Style:	Psychedelic black metal
Release date:	June 10, 2008
Guest review by:	Oaken

01. One Of These Nights (Intro)
02. Assassins
03. Ghosts Of Grace
04. Away From The Light
05. Your True Enemy
06. Code Negative
07. Omnivore
08. Seasick, Part I: Drowned At Dusk
09. Seasick, Part II: Oceanborne
10. Seasick, Part III: Silent Sunrise

Nachtmystium was started as a raw black metal band back in the year 2000. Since then, the overall sound has changed a lot. In fact, the changes were so big that it was possible to think that new Nachtmystium records were released by another band. Don't get surprised by that. When a band change their sound from black metal to psychedelic/experimental craze, it is not uncommon that they confuse their listeners. There's quite a gigantic gap between Pink Floyd-esque psychedelic touches and relentless, harsh black metal riffs. Assassins: Black Meddle, Part 1 does a great job at exposing this difference.

Assassins: Black Meddle, Part 1 kicks off with a 2-minute intro by the name of "One Of These Nights". After that, we get to have a shot at Nachtmystium's best offering here: The title track, "Assassins". That song consists of some melodic tremolo riffs, solid basslines, strong blast beats and some surprisingly decipherable shrieks. "Ghosts Of Grace" follows, and it basically does what "Assassins" did, even though it is a bit weaker. However, it is a gem compared to what remains of the record; After "Ghosts Of Grace", Assassins: Black Meddle, Part 1 suffers from a drop of consistency and quality. You expect awesomeness, but you get mediocrity at best.

The music itself is simple. Apart from some solos (and "Assassins"), you get some standard BM riffs and blasts, dissonant arpeggios, and some calm passages. As a matter of fact, I don't think there's much black metal nor psychedelic music in here. Despite its fine originality, Assassins: Black Meddle, Part 1 has a flaw of the sound being lost between those two genres. You've got a BM song, then a weaker non-BM song and then a short filler. I expected the "Seasick" trilogy to be something epic, but it turned out to be a collection of filler tracks.

On a more positive side, Nachtmystium don't fail in conjuring a melancholic atmosphere. Aided by those misanthropic vocals, the music is usually hateful and angry. As stated previously, there are some excellent tracks. "Assassins" and "Ghosts Of Grace" are probably the best, but also, even though it is on a lesser level of awesomeness, you have "Your True Enemy". Moreover, the album isn't that lengthy. It tends to pass quickly, and isn't hurt. The production is very nicely executed; you can hear everything well. To summarize this all, Nachtmystium's Assassins: Black Meddle, Part 1 is a decent blackish album. Even though it has a few filler tracks, it is a nice misanthropic, not-so-black metal albums with some Pink Floyd-ish solos, dissonance and mighty vocals. Give it a shot for some fun.