Reflections of a Sad Soul

Reflections of a Sad Soul is the newest opus from French DSBM band, Nocturnal Depression. Honestly, I HATE the band name with a passion, it is so cliche, unoriginal, and it gives an impression of a childish group of teenagers attempting to rid themselves of emotions invoked by not being given the necessary shelter/food/etc. from their parents or significant other.

Although their name did take awhile to grow on me, as did the genre itself, it has actually become something I am frequently listening to. Let me give you a brief interpretation of what DSBM is, or what I believe it should be the vessel of. The emotions created through the atmosphere of the music itself is that which is manifested through repetitive, monotonous chords over slow, drone like drumming synthesized with painful vocals. By painful, I mean, high pitched, raspy similar to Varg's vocals but more appropriate, melodic, and rhythmically placed (for the most part). The lyrics don't make reference to a process of depression/suicide through another figure dominately but through a mixture of all that is created. It is not, "I hate you for what you have done to me, therefore I will kill myself," it is more like, "the overwhelming aspects of life fused with that which has been discovered has forced myself into the very depths of over thinking that which is pessimistic." With a name like Nocturnal Depression, it was very unlikely to actually come to the conclusion that the two members actually remain far from any other human contact (I am certain of H.S. doing so), which gives me a hint that they may in fact be serious. Nothing like Kim Carlsson but this will do (I hold him high in thought, if you haven't noticed).

This is in fact one of the best releases created by Nocturnal Depression. They have come quite a long way, their previous releases had only one song that I was really hooked on because the riffs weren't something meant to be repetitive. They were fairly horrible when they have the intention of making them 5+ minutes. Nostalgia and Autumn/Fall/Host have got to be the only songs that I had found myself listening to avidly. This release on the other hand manages to pick up the speed a bit when appropriate and slowed down when it was necessary. The drums simple, Guitars repetitive, vocals amazing. Lokhraed seems to possess one of the best and distinct vocals in the Black Metal genre. In addition to the distinction, he gives ND a bit of an edge.

This is something for fans of the band, not much for fans of the genre. Their style isn't that which is worth exalting such as Hypothermia, Austere, Lyrinx, among others, and the music remains dormant in the Black metal section rather than branching out into other genres, particularily Post-Rock which has proven to be popular (due to Alcest and Sigur Ros seems to make a big impact as well).

The Verdict:

7/10