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For those of you who have been living under a rock for the past few years and have had the misfortune of never having stumbled across the fantastic Nachtmystium before – shame on you! Perpetually living in the shadow of their more infamous brethren in Xasthur, Leviathan and the like in the USBM scene, Nachtmystium's latest step towards their own unique niche will no doubt divide opinions, either seeing the band cemented firmly into the 'scene-fiends' all time favorite band lists as if they'd always been there from day one, whilst also gaining massive respect from the people who can enjoy their music for what it is, or see them shunned completely by the purist elitists for fearlessly trying to set themselves apart in a crowded US scene.

Anyhow, Azentrius has now bolstered his band by adding Imperial of Krieg into the ranks, which certainly has added a new dimension to the bands sound (interestingly too, 'Instinct: Decay' is not far removed stylistically to Krieg's final album 'Blue Miasma'). Possibly taking a page from Enslaved's recently more forward thinking efforts, Nachtmystium have created a thoroughly stimulating album, encompassing their previous hate-filled legacy but also overflowing with huge, echoing blissful soundscapes,. Although still decayed, and vein-burstingly venomous black metal at its foundation, Azentrius has now stoked the flame of melancholic melody on this album, in the form of eerie, delay drenched almost theremin-like guitar lines, which he has used in a similar way to the massive, organ like otherworldly sounds that Mithras created on their 'Worlds Beyond the Veil' album. This adding of strings to their collective bows (not to mention a plethora of unbridled influences worn bravely on their sleeves) has certainly given the band massive scope for this album, which they have grasped tightly, truly creating their magnum opus.

With such a kaleidoscope of the highest quality, grade A odium tainted atmosphere, you would have to have an immeasurably tapered understanding of the boundaries of black metal to pass this album by.