Nachtblut – Dogma

Releasedate: 25-05-2012; Label: Napalm Records
By: Martine Goffard

After two interesting albums, it’s with great excitement that we listened to this third opus of Nachtblut. As you can see on the jacket of the album, Dogma is an introspection of the human mind. We follow a tortuous way around the urges of death and destruction, the need for a faith and the repulsion of it; all in the depth of the soul in all its horror. With a lot of brains, we would say, roughly and figuratively. Roughly: because of the delectable and gruesome lyrics; we are very close to an Eisregen production on that point. It goes as deep as the blade can cut through the flesh. Figuratively: because it is very well written, highly poetic and clever. As many German bands like to do, we have here another acid, critical point of view on the society, playing with the censure, and directed towards the national audience. Musically, there is a strong influence of Cradle Of Filth in the alternation of high pitched and low voices and of Rammstein in the steamroller of industrial and heavy bass. Still, all is smoothed with gothic and symphonic layers. Nachtblut could be described as a powerful melodic black metal band with a light mainstream touch.

Dogma, an attack against doctrinaire beliefs, opens in thunder. The gothic piano waltzes with the melodic violin and explodes in a swinging chorus. Der Weg Is Das Ziel, with its military drums and flute intro, mixes keyboard solos and refined guitar chords. The message is full of irony as you should join the dark army for your own free will’s sake. Ich Trinke Blut, although shallow in his theme compared to the rest, is a correct gothic song, with its harpsichord and cathedral effect. There’s a funny little touch of orchestral effects à la Rhapsody in it. Rache is a blast. Full of electro and hoarse, deep growls, this is definitely the Rammstein song here. You better play it very loud. Mordlust is a vicious and sensual song on pulses of murder. Between ghostly female vocals and electronic variety, the selection of maddening sounds falls into a whirlwind of screams. Then, resound the imperial trumpets for Macht, as a litany of dictators names is shrieked. Busssacrament and Vulva are here the filthiest songs. The first one open the church’s doors to enter the foul vision of a pedophile priest. The second follows the life of a psycho to his bloody but poetic description of his victim’s evisceration. The closing title, Schritte, depicts in a fatalist and touching way our miserable condition as grains of sand in a gloomy world. Still, there is one song to point out of this album, it is Mein Herz In Ihren Händen. A lot of piano for the sadness and crashing drums for the despair. The weight of pain is in the murmured chorus, the fatality is in the screams. It rejoins Dogma in a wicked circle. To conclude, Nachtblut gives again an amazing album to enjoy in all its details.

Line up:
Sacerdos – lyrics, bass
Askeroth – lyrics
Greif – guitar
Skoll – drums
Lymania – keyboards

Tracklist: 01. Dogma 02. Der Weg Ist Das Ziel 03. Ich Trinke Blut 04. Eiskönigin 05. Rache 06. Mein Herz In Ihren Händen 07. Mordlust 08. Macht 09. Busssakrament 10. Vulva 11. Schritte

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