Band:	Nocte Obducta
Album:	Nektar Teil II: Seen, Flüsse, Tagebücher
Style:	Progressive black metal
Release date:	April 2005
A review by:	Deadsoulman

01. Anis (Desîhras Tagebuch - Kapitel I)
02. Und Pan Spielt Die Flöte (Desîhras Tagebuch - Kapitel II)
03. Im Siebten Mond (Desîhras Tagebuch - Kapitel III)
04. Es Fließe Blut
05. Nektar
06. Atme

Time for a confession now: although this is already the sixth album of the German Nocte Obducta, I had never ever heard of them before. Not even the name, which is quite sad when you think about it. If the rest of their albums is half as great as Nektar II, I've done the biggest mistake in my whole life. Anyway, Nocte Obducta might very well be among the most prolific bands in metal. They released their first album in 1999 and their sixth (!) last year in 2005. That means one album every year plus a 30-minute EP in 2003.

Now the amazing thing is that Nocte Obducta don't play regular, raw, straightforward black metal. They (or, better, Marcel, the only composer and lyricist) manage to release one album per year while they play complex, almost progressive at times, melodic black metal with songs that clock up to 15 minutes. That's quite a feat if you ask me. And obviously that Marcel guy is not losing inspiration. Nektar II is simply an amazing piece of art.

As I said before this is not straightforward black metal. Labelling Nocte Obducta as mere black metal would not be fair. This band is so much more than that. Building upon a melodic black basis, they add death, dark, doom, folk and progressive elements so as to create massive, fetching soundscapes. The 16-minute epic "Und Pan Spielt Die Flöte" (my German is very limited but I assume it means "And Pan Plays The Flute") is a masterpiece per se: it has everything you can find on this album - cool vocals, fast-paced riffs (the intro doesn't fail to leave me speechless), folkish melodic bridges, nice and efficient keyboards. This is honestly one of the best black metal songs I've ever heard. This song alone justifies that you purchase Nektar II.

The last two songs show a more doomy, emotional side of the band. They are slightly less good than the beginning but interesting nevertheless with their weeping arpeggios and mourning whispers. The escalation at the end of the closing track "Atme" is particularly compelling. Don't ask me what the lyrics are about though. I've read throughout the Internet that they're poetic and amazing, but I don't speak German so they could as well deal with animal sex or killing posers.

In the end Nektar II is a complex album - I can't count the episodes in each song - but oddly enough it is so well-written that it is easily accessible. Thus it can appeal as much to the die-hard BM fans as to the beginners. Honestly this album is the epitome of the word monumental. In other words, this is not the kind of thing you hear everyday and Marcel Va. Tr. is a musical genius. Nothing less.

Highlights: Anis, Und Pan Spielt Die Flöte, Atme