Band:	Nocte Obducta
Album:	Nektar Teil I: Zwölf Monde, Eine Handvoll Träume
Style:	Progressive black metal
Release date:	August 2004
Guest review by:	tulkas

01. Einleitung: Zwölf Monde
02. Frühling: Des schwarzen Flieders Wiegenlied
03. Sommer: In einem Mittsommernachtsschatten
04. Herbst: Lenkte einsam meinen Schritt
05. Winter: Dezembermond

Following up to the Stille EP of 2003, the Nektar Teil I doesn't fail to show what a great band this is, and what a genious musician Marcel is. It's a great combination of what I'd say are the best elements from diverse metal sub-genres, such as death, doom, goth, and even progressive.
The album starts out with the slow instrumental intro song "Einleitung: Zwölf Monde" which actually gives you a chilly feeling, and then it breaks out onto "Frühling: Des schwarzen Flieders Wiegenlied" which starts out powerfully and with a typical BM guttural growl that grabs you and makes you wanna listen to the song even more carefully. The tempo picks up and slows down many times, and at about the middle of the song there's an instrumental part only composed by percussion.

By this point you'd be asking yourself why the hell you hadn't heard something like this before, and you probably won't find out why. The band's own development through the years made them achieve a unique sound that you won't hear anywhere else, and that's what makes them a must not only for BM fans, but also for the rest of the metal scene. Either by one song or another, everyone may find something appealing to their personal taste, and for me this is another great plus for this band.

The other three songs don't fail to impress, "Sommer: In einem Mittsommernachtsschatten" is a masterpiece, combining what I'd say makes a song perfect: both fast and slow tempos, amazing vocals, and (although I can't confirm the fact, since I don't speak german), really great lyrics. "Herbst: Lenkte einsam meinen Schritt..." has an amazing instrumental introduction that picks up even more amazingly, and "Winter: Dezembermond" is an incredible closing song that is over 14 minutes and just blows you away. After this, you can't resist to not listen to the whole album again. Like I said, it doesn't matter if you like Black Metal, Death Metal, or any other style, you still may find something you like at least in one song, and probably even start liking the rest of their discography which isn't less amazing.

So, what else can I say? This is a must have album at least for BM fans, then, it'd be perfect for people who like to explore and find bands with a unique sound. Although it's not their last album, it's a great example of their evolution as a band and a great example of what they're able to do. You won't get tired of listening to the album over and over, and it won't fail to impress you every time you listen to it.