Ikana – Froid / Demoniac – Nosferatus Act 1 (Split)

This particular Split, by its very nature, consists of two halves, and hence will be divided into its constituent parts as part of this scribble. The first half I will be delving into will be that of Ikana’s Froid by merit of being the first part of the album new listeners will be spinning (the A-side, if you will), which consists of three tracks from the relatively new French Atmospheric Black Metal/Dungeon Synth from the one-man act. 

Musically, all three tracks are significantly more Dungeon Synth than Black Metal, relying heavily upon the use of a synthetic organ all throughout, using it to (admittedly) great effect to manufacture a haunting and somewhat sombre ambience – Occasionally adding a near-horror-esque tint to the performance through low-pitched, hoarse vocals. An interesting approach to be sure, one I found to be reminiscent of what I would expect to come across coupled with an old black-and-white horror movie (the occasional distorted guitars notwithstanding). An interesting take on the genre to be sure as well as a decent first outing (from what I could gather, this record simultaneously doubled as a re-release of their first Demo with a new Single added), albeit one I found… Lackluster. I spun the record several times, and sadly had a hard time pin-pointing anything considerably noteworthy about the record which would help me remember the album at a later date or even help me associate any of the tracks with the band playing. 

As for the second half, this one consists of a release from a more traditionally based Black Metal act, one that has been around in one form or another since 1988 (since 1993 under their current moniker and musical approach). Nosferatus Act 1 hence marks the bands eight release, the first Split of its kind, containing two songs. 

And said tracks, as opposed to the first half of the album, are… I suppose in some aspects, more grounded? Most certainly a product of its time, both tracks are significantly faster paced, heavily distorted instruments rhythmically grinding their way through the occult darkness of the bands native Germany. Both members have very clearly been at it for decades (both seemingly being founding members of the band or at the very least close to it), knowing exactly what they want to create and how, and having built up the expertise and expectations to do so. This both works to their benefit, meaning that the band not merely comes across as a homage to old-school Black Metal but actually feels like belonging to the era (which they arguably do) – But at the same time works as a detriment to the former half of this record by being a considerably more stable release when comparing the two. Nevertheless, if you are into nearly thirty minutes of new old-school Black Metal, then look no further than relatively onscure Demoniac. 

https://ikanabm.bandcamp.com/album/froid

https://www.facebook.com/people/Demoniac-666/61560406676630/