Band:	Nae'blis
Album:	Confusion & Apathy - In The Fog Of A Surreal Daydream
Style:	Depressive black metal
Release date:	February 24, 2010
A review by:	KwonVerge

01. I
02. II
03. III
04. IV
05. V
06. VI
07. VII
08. VIII
09. IX
10. X

Nae'blis is a swedish one-man band and I recall having enjoyed Sketches Of Reality 3 years ago, it was some kind of depressive black metal, not the best or most innovative sound around, but Magnus Wohlfart definitely had something to say. 2010's release, Confusion & Apathy - In The Fog Of A Surreal Daydream, was a surprise, quite different from what I or anyone else familiar with Nae'blis would expect. Well, whether the surprise was pleasant or not, it's another story.

First of all, don't expect a metal album, one could say the band presents some kind of atmospheric ambient black "metal", although I could say it's mainly keyboard/piano-driven music with an ambiental touch at times, electronic beat or beat-like drumming and an electronic vibe quite often, especially when the beat breaks in and some FX distort the soundscape. As for the vocals, well, yeah, there are some screams that float here and there, but this doesn't mean it's a black "metal" album. Also, there are some intense recites, like on the opener, "I", giving the impression as if you were listening to a male kind of less electronic version of Anne Clark. The guitars are limited, mostly acoustic chords and only a few times a slightly heavier and distorted approach delivers a misty metal aura.

The keyboard/piano passages are definitely inspired and they work well in ensemble with the acoustic guitars, the whole album is a pleasant listen, yet it's not something you could embrace any time of the day. This album is something like the soundtrack of manic depression, at times delightful, euphoric, at others distressing, desolate with a sense of bleak nostalgia, leaning towards the second aspect. Confusion & Apathy - In The Fog Of A Surreal Daydream is a spot on title, it may overwhelm you and send obscure shivers down your spine or it may sound monotonous and kind of boring. To maintain its pulse it would be most preferable to cherish it during night-time, it will definitely have something to whisper to your ears.

With all these having been said, my final rating will be a 7 minus 1/plus 1 depending on the mood and the arrays that consist of it during the day. Nae'blis' latest work is something worth-checking under conditions, it may tell you something, it may pass by as almost nothing, it's all a matter of taste and in this situation a matter of mood, especially at night.

Highlights: "I", "IV", "VI", "VIII", "X".