Darkestrah - Nomad (2024)

Unleashing a masterful atmospheric epic, today we have Darkestrah and their latest effort “Nomad”. Instantly transporting the listener to unknown lands and taking them on adventures, this release perfectly blends Pagan and Folk influences with a Black Metal core to deliver a lush listening experience. Hailing from Kyrgyzstan and having a few members of Iran in their ranks, this outfit has mastered the skill of blending in unconventional instruments, in Metal music, into heavy and punishing compositions.

Setting the mood with the desolate “Journey through Blue Nothingness”, things quickly escalate with the lush atmospherics of “Kok Oy”, a track filled with crafty melodic guitars and ravaging tempo changes. Things get catchier and more Folkish on the album title track and dramatic instrumentation and hypnotic vocal arrangements. The epic “Destroyer Of Obstacles” brilliantly continues this flow of lavish instrumental arrangements around very melodic distorted guitars that are frantic at times.

As the listener is fully immersed into the epicness of this release, “Quest for the Soul” continues the ravaging onslaught of melodic guitars alongside mysterious atmospherics and pretty hellish vocals. The band excels in creating a very diverse and engaging vibe in their music that allows tracks like “The Dream of Kojojash” to transfer both raw emotion and polished tempos. This track provides a nice catharsis on this rollercoaster of a release.

Overall, “Nomad” is one of those albums that stands out both because it is quite different from anything else, and its incredibly high quality in terms of musicianship and songwriting. Filled with epic songs, the album really transports the listener and has high replay value thanks to all the small details that are baked into the music. If you like Pagan/Folk Black Metal with tons of traditional non-electric instruments, but its still heavy AF, look no further and get a copy of this release.

Label: Osmose Productions

Release: March 29th, 2024

Genre: Folk/Pagan Black Metal

Country: Kyrgyzstan