Angellore - Nocturnes - review
Angellore - Nocturnes - review
Tracklist
01. Falling Birds02. Black Sun River
03. Forsaken Fairytale
04. Martyrium
05. A Dormant Stream
A review by
tominator June 19, 2026
If Hanging Garden’s Isle Of Bliss left me a bit unfulfilled in terms of getting a truly satisfying gothic record, Angellore absolutely manages to deliver. They have really knocked it out of the park with Nocturnes.
Truth be told, there were two things that came to mind as soon as I saw the atmospheric doom/gothic doom tag for this one. First and foremost, there was, of course, interest. The second one, though, had to do with a gut feeling. I expected that a couple of spins would be necessary to truly see whether the record could captivate me. This is almost always the case for me when we are talking about albums that are labelled as "atmospheric".
The reason I used the word "almost" in that last sentence is because of records like this one. Nocturnes is one of those exceptions that immediately grabbed my attention and never lost its grasp on me.
Like a lot of doom albums, Nocturnes offers those traditional slower-paced and very brooding riffs. The soundscape leaves enough room for the sombreness and melancholy to really seep in. It also avoids the pitfall that Hanging Garden fell face-first into: songs are easily distinguishable from one another while still maintaining a cohesive sound overall. The band goes effortlessly from bombastic powerful moments to softer enchanting passages. The overall result is an album that feels connected and incredibly consistent.
Another thing that I absolutely have to mention is the vocal performances. They totally reinforce that powerful quality of each song having its own identity. And yes, here is where I’m also going to mention the second track “Black Sun River”, as some others have done on the album page. The warm, deep vocals in that song totally elevate it to the next level. Some have already mentioned the similarities to vocalists like Johan Edlund and Peter Steele, and they are totally on point. And let me add another name to that list, because my mind instantly went to what is probably the only song I truly liked on Avantasia’s Ghostlights: “Draconian Love”, which has a guest appearance from Herbie Langhans. The warmth in his vocal performance on that song sounds eerily similar to what can be heard on “Black Sun River”. There’s only one word for it: gorgeous. Let’s not forget the other vocal performances, though, because they also absolutely hit the mark. The female vocals switch between ethereal and melancholic, and the raw vocals that are added on top of these other performances offer a beautiful contrast.
I do feel like the first two songs are the ones that stand out the most for me. The rest is superb as well, but those songs suffer a tiny bit from how good that opening one-two punch is. But that’s just me (as per usual) being a nitpicker. This is a really great record that absolutely deserves your time. Excellent atmosphere, gripping songwriting, good pacing, incredibly strong performances, a nice production, and variety. I have yet to listen to Draconian’s latest effort, and apparently that’s another magnificent gothic doom record. If it’s on par with this one, I’ll be in for a treat.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 10 |
| Songwriting: | 9 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 9 |
Comments
Comments:
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Posts: 11959
This seems like a good album, from your description. I still haven't had the opportunity to listen to it, but it's definitely on my list.
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Posts: 210  |
Posts: 210
I've been on a Type O Negative kick lately, so this could be the perfect next step. Nice review!
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