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Void Terra Firma

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Void Terra Firma
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Type: Full-Length
Release Date: March 26th, 1990
Genre: Thrash
1. Not Even A Carcass
2. I'm The Rapist Of Drowned
1. In Lacrimaes Et Dolor - Of Poison And Deceit
2. The Blessed Hellbrigade - Maudit Et Superieur
3. Aphonic Threnody - Bury Them Deep
4. Y'Ha-Nthlei - The Tomb's Penumbra
1. The Catalyst
2. Endings
3. My Own Worst Enemy
4. Line In The Sand
5. Rise
6. Black Hearts Unite
1. Void Terra Firma
2. Deception Of Faith
3. Questions
4. Skitz-Illusions
5. Slayground
6. Killers
7. Steamroller
8. Checkmate
9. Buried Or Burned
10. Last Resort


Review by Alex on January 13, 2020.

It was hard at first to contemplate and grasp what Nachtig was out to accomplish with this album. Either this was going to land and remain on the depressive side of the black metal spectrum or it would steadily evolve and move towards something else. 55 minutes of sullen melodies is not what I think of when I hear the words black metal, but even in its most loose of forms such as on the album being far from my customs, the hopes I had for it were not spoiled. This is not a very adventurous album to say, but it does mingle with the idea. It also proved difficult trying to set the album aside from the DSBM categorization given its strong resemblance alluding to the problematic sub-genre I loathe, thus compelling me to listen under the impression no such sub-genre of black metal exists. Even more tedious was listening past the first three songs but not for the reasons you would imagine (bad, repetitive, directionless) none of those apply; instead falling for the marvel of towering keyboard and guitar harmonies.

The first three (3) songs play like they are attached to each other barely loosening their grip of the melody set by the opening track ‘Der Tag Bricht An...’ and even when drifting away from such through dramatically slower tempos in certain areas, find their way back to the dreamlike atmosphere instigated as the opening and primary framework of Nachtig as an album. Hence separating the songs does not work because they mimic connectivity to each other. As a result, you get a projection of where Nachtig would be taking the self-titled record. ‘Die Waldhexe’ does more of the same, keeping that mid-pacing to drive home the ambient and atmospheric beauty called into effect early-on; therefore, most of the album’s length reiterates the ambient, slightly melancholic and dreamy cover artwork.

The songs may seem way too long for the average listener, however, if you’re able to endure the mountainous track lengths, for your sacrifice you will gain peace of mind as you voyage towards the final track ‘Der Letzte Weg’, bringing the dim-lit revelation to a curtain call. A bit more optimistic sounding yet depressive value is met but not overdone to steer away. The musical tones are quite diverse on this one given the sporadic changes in momentum to either establish downcast, or for a while challenging the mournful echoes with buoyant accentuations. As a whole Nachtig is enjoyable, nevertheless I suppose some songs could have been much faster to rival the overcast atmosphere to give the music deeper or more noticeable contrast.

For the pacing to be this slow throughout the album’s runtime was unnecessary given the setting or rhythmic stance and construct of Nachtig had already been a fixed statement of the first two (2) or so tracks. It seemed to be heading towards a second wave Scandinavian black metal firestorm some instances but never carried through. The recordings are boldly conventional through a linear cortège and alignment with raw/ambient black metal; hence still appealing to those who fancy the vigorous approach. A Purity Through Fire release, Nachtig takes you through a forest of weeping landscapes all the while glorious to the journey ever-long; drenched in agony and obscurity, a footing steered by gloom and paced in sorrowful resonance.

Rating: 8.2 out of 10

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Review by Emma on September 18, 2010.

Netherlandish Hardcore act My City Burning has turned out an EP fans of hardcore will be pleased with. From track one it is an auditory assault of heavy hooks and second-person lyrical perspectives! Their music is labeled as a blend with thrash though I’d rather say there are thrash-elements, but not enough to really give the band’s style a dual element name. Hardcore listeners will find this addition of style something of interest; it added more interest for myself at least. Altogether this is a solid though altogether uninteresting and un-notable EP. Still, kids will pick this up and think it’s the best thing since sliced bread.

Tracks ‘The Catalyst’ and ‘Line In The Sand’ were the most memorable. The final of the six track EP ‘Black Hearts Unite’ wrapped up the show with an anthem for ‘the outcasts of the underground’ (Wha? Who? Where.. I don’t see any…) that we’ve all heard from other bands countless times before. Points deducted for complete unoriginality.

The cover art also struck me as completely unoriginal. The first thing I thought upon receiving the album was ‘Converge?’ Generally one would think it’s a bad idea to have your cover design look exactly like a better-known band’s already established album. I guess it could be used as a marketing tactic as well. Whatever the intention, it makes one look forward to the day that Photoshop collages of found prints are put to their fashionable rest.

If you like Hardcore, you’ll probably like what My City Burning has to offer. I imagine they’d be more interesting live than on CD. Live you can buy their merch and pose in it for Myspace, hardcore sluts it is your turn to shine!

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8.5
Atmosphere: 5
Production: 9
Originality: 3
Overall: 6.5

Rating: 6.4 out of 10

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Review by Felix on November 7, 2019.

Void Terra Firma is one of the better albums of Oakland's Defiance, but that doesn't mean a lot. Defiance were never ahead of the pack and even the proverb that every dog has its day is not applicable in this case. The compositional talent of the dudes was not good enough to pen a really great album and even the here presented output does not have any kind of long-term impact.

Okay, the mid-harsh thrash has its moments. Especially the first half of the album delivers pretty strong tracks. Both the sinister, pretty aggressive "Deception of Faith" and the slightly emotional "Questions" with its short melodic parts are decent, although they cannot compete with highlights of comparable bands such as Testament. The hoarse and almost awkward voice of Steev Esquivel constitutes another negative discrepancy from the works of the better-known formations. He ruins songs such as "Slayground" with his shrill cries at the beginning in a matter of seconds and it is of little consolation that a better lead vocalist would not have saved the lackluster number as well. A mere juxtaposition of mediocre riffs leads, and lines has never shaped a great song.

In search of a really great number (and in view of their own limitations), the dudes decided to cover "Killers". To be honest, I never was a fan of this Iron Maiden classic, but the absolutely powerless version of Defiance takes the biscuit. Once again, Steev shows that he is not the natural born lead vocalist. And apart from his pretty miserable performance, there are no significant differences to the original version of the song. Thus, I really do not have a clue why the band recorded this piece.

The following tracks give the answer. "Steamroller" suffers from extremely weak riffs. "Checkmate" has a promising start in view of its dark vibes, but the faceless one-tone-chorus sucks. Thrash metal is usually appreciated for its precise velocity, its sharp riffs and its dynamic overall impression, but despite a sufficient number of breaks and tempo changes, many songs lack of energetic momentum. "Buried or Burned" marks one of the rare exceptions. Its speedy parts ban the compositional disorientation that shimmers through many songs and the abrasive guitar work gives me the thrashing feeling that I like so much. The solid production is able to put this track into the right light.

Anyway, it was no coincidence that Defiance's name was never mentioned in the same breath as Forbidden, Vio-lence or further comparable groups. These bands really were, at least for a certain period, ahead of the pack. Defiance followed the horde without even smelling the farts of the leaders. The distance was just too great and already the first track mirrored the situation perfectly. An opening title track has to meet highest demands, but Void Terra Firma fails to exceed an acceptable level.

Rating: 6 out of 10

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