One of Germany’s longest serving, but on the other hand most productive, Black Metal-bands returns with a new mini-CD (two new full-length-albums are already being worked out according to their new label) – and please be aware that label as well as band don’t consider this as a full-length-output while on the other hand several mailorders and distros sell this for a full price. Have all NOCTE OBDUCTA-albums been different until now with the most obvious example of “Schwarzmetall”, this one might be the most surprising and difficult to approach: Starting with ‘Die Schwäne Im Moor’ one can feel EMPYRIUMesque melancholy, ‘Töchter Des Mondes’ follows this patterns while getting more aggressive with time passing by. ‘Der Regen’ is, if I am not mistaken, at least partly based on a song written by the pre-NOCTE OBDUCTA formation DESHIRA, and the Death Metal-roots of that band are shining through the complete song – in structure and vocals – early nineties Death Metal with German lyrics. Yet the two best songs on this record (btw: the vinyl-version will include a bonus song and should be out by now) are still to come: ‘Tage, Die Welkten’ starts as melancholic as the first two songs but the atmosphere is more creeping, and in the second half the song gets more aggressive, more of what I remember to be typically NOCTE-style (although it would do injustice to Marcel’s compositions to call anything typical…) and the final track ‘Vorbei’ is the one which is most Black Metal, the most catchy, a great vocal line etc., although the drum sound is too triggered for my taste – but this is however a great song. Compared to the older NOCTE-release, this is a bit different in its musical way, but then has not being unconventional yet being catchy and always writing songs to the point, being one of NOCTE’s trademarks from the very beginning? Has not being not interested in expectations at all played a big part in NOCTE’s history? If your answers are ‘yes’ like mine would be and if you appreciate the older NOCTE-works as much as I do – be it for lyrics, the music or the seldomly found intelligence within Germany’s Black Metal-scene, I can only recommend this album. All others are asked to give it a try at least. www.nocte-obducta.de, www.s-c-r.de