Blight Privilege

Nachtmystium - “Blight Privilege” 2024

Nachtmystium
“Blight Privilege”

Origin: DeKalb, Illinois, USA

Genre: Psychedelic Black Metal

Label: Prophecy Productions / Lupus Lounge Records

Blake Judd and Nachtmystium have, despite their polarizing nature, risen as the cream of the USBM scene - blackened psychedelia as realized through the release of records that break ground, all the while as the band has remained nourished upon true BM’s sacred taproot - a style of play that not only encapsulates the dire nature of the human condition, but also the American ethos. UADA? Wolves in the Throne Room? Even as excellent as these bands are, they fall short when compared to the soul, the complexity and the overall creativity of Nachtmystium.

The music comes from the heart! From the aching spirit that has felt true Hell on Earth: addiction, destitution, incarceration and complete dehumanization - gravely lyrical digs to unearth a skeletal harvest of memories and experiences most dreadful - the stuff of BM legend. Now, we stand upon the cusp of a long-awaited new record release from Nachtmystium; one that deals in all of the above-mentioned horrors, but also strife on both national and global levels. The time has come for Blake’s voice to be heard once again! Are you ready for it? Or are you stuck in the past? Shit, man, I literally pawned my mother’s jewelry for crack money and bankrupted my family before I got clean. That doesn’t even scratch the surface of a lifetime’s worth of transgressions. There are people out there who are suffering beyond the reach of words as the result of this disease and its impact on not only the afflicted but also their loved ones, but yeah, tough break on not getting your T-shirt ten years ago. Cry me a fucking river… On November 1, Nachtmystium will release “Blight Privilege” via Prophecy / Lupus Lounge.

Over the years, Blake has proven to be a musical prodigy whose vision for the genre has produced some of the most versatile records the USBM movement has ever seen, from the paradigm shift between “Assasins: Black Meddle Pt. I” and “Addicts: Black Meddle Pt. II” to the spectrum-spanning nature of “Resilient” as it represents the gradual change from misery to rebirth and on to the forthcoming album that details both personal and societal woes. And the music? Like no other artist, like no other band - wholly original - unique to its core and magisterial as far as complexity/imaginativeness. With “Blight Privilege”, Blake and Nachtmystium hold nothing back; providing their label and their devout fans with what is the most well-thought-out recording ever created under the Nachtmystium banner: melodic, rhythmic and even more atmospheric. But the top selling point is the level of artistic maturity that is put on display with tracks like “Predator Phoenix” and “Conquistador”. No excessive blast-beating or hemorrhaging of repetitive tremolo riffs; only wisely composed and accessible material that not only appeals to the purist, but also to those of us who happen to be of the mind that some black metal is deserving of attributes such as quality engineering, crisp tonality and lulling melodic sequences.

“Blind Spot” - a clinic in riffing and a melodious siren song, complete with entrancing leads and savory mid-tempo’d rhythmic patterns. It just doesn’t get much sweeter. A full gamut of project-defining soundscapes and stylistic subtleties conveyed through a synergy of melodic and psychedelic black metals. Ah, perfection… The experience culminates with the titular track - that familiar twang and further still into the realm of total and complete mystification as each blissful second of runtime unfolds to the profoundness of Blake’s hope-inspiring lyrical connotations.

A lifetime of suffering encapsulated within Nachtmystium’s entire discography: addiction, hopelessness and despair - the stuff of nightmares, until now. Hope and a new life birthed through perseverance; a long time coming. And as far as the naysayers who can’t let the past die? I genuinely feel sorry for you. “Blight Privilege” is the culmination of an entire career journey that began underground, rose to the fabled realm of mainstream notoriety and has now landed Blake and crew in the proverbial zone; that place of dominance and total confidence in their craft. A perfect record from top to bottom.

Captivation: 10/10
Cover Art: 10/10
Concept: 10/10
Production: 10/10
Revisitabilty: 10/10

Final Score: 10/10

Experience “Survivors Remorse” from “Blight Privilege” by Nachtmystium right here as presented by Prophecy Productions:

https://youtu.be/ccQbwioBPdc?si=176VQ9pCFxGnenw9

~Jeger