ALBUM REVIEW: Drakon Darshan Satan – Nox Formulae

NOX FORMULAE may not be the most well known black metal act to come from Greece, but they certainly are one of the better acts operating within the underground over there. Known for their coarse, chaotic take on black metal, their debut album, The Hidden Paths to Black Ecstasy, established them as a force to be reckoned with within a scene that is already saturated with fantastic bands. Their second album, Darkon Darshan Satan, sees NOX FORMULAE trim what little fat was present in their sound, leaving only lean and visceral black metal in its wake.

Psychopath of Nox starts Darkon Darshan Satan off strong with a furious slab of black metal. The guitars and drums create a vast wall of noise which provides a great foundation for the vocals, which carve a harsh path through the mix. The guitars have plenty of subtle, jarring motifs added to give this song a much more darkly aggressive sound, a small detail that works really well. The haunting final moments lead seamlessly into Ravens of Terror, a song that maintains much of the intensity but provides a lot more adventurous guitar work and a punishing drum sound, which makes for a powerful track. It’s incredibly tight and ferocious, with some brilliant, hellish vocals only serving to make this song sound all the more frenetic.

Eclipse of Gharrasielh has a more energetic sound, with invigorated drumming and rhythmic guitars. This song is really carried by its vocals, which, although somewhat sparse, really add to the music, providing a bellicose edge to the track. The Black Stone of Satan picks up where the last song concluded, and takes a more experimental turn. Although it possesses the savagery that’s marked the music up until this point, there’s a few hints at progression in NOX FORMULAE‘s sound, notably in its opening seconds, with a more prominent, robust bass sound and some eclectic guitar work also helping to make this song sound absolutely massive at points, making for a beguiling and memorable offering.

The Blood Oath of Thagirion takes the music down an eerier route, with a great, slow-burning opening riff that gives way to an an expansive slab of black metal with some feral vocal deliveries. There’s some great, razor sharp musicianship on all fronts here, and the whole song has a murky, esoteric feel to it that helps to establish it as one of the albums more engrossing tracks. The Arrival of Noctifer continues this ethereal and hypnotic sound, developing it even further, with haunting, sonorous vocals working incredibly well with percussive drum passages and airy guitar hooks.

Berzeks of OD drags the music back into familiar territory, with bleak, tremolo picked leads and cacophonous drumming crafting a visceral, oppressive sound for this particular song. The vocals have lots of emotive weight to them, jumping between pained howls and venom soaked vitriol with aplomb, adding a claustrophobic sense of urgency to the song, making this epic, yet sepulchral, track arguably the best on the whole album. Eve of Annihilation, much like Drakon Darshan Satan‘s opener, is a speed driven aural assault, with a lean, muscular sound and belligerent vocals. It’s a solid, if somewhat unremarkable, way to bring this album to a close, providing a short sharp shock of ferocity to put an exclamation point on the record.

For the most part, Drakon Darshan Satan is a fantastic album. Other than a lack of hooks and memorability, it’s hard to find fault with anything; the music is great, there’s a range of vocals that make the music more engrossing, and it’s got a brilliantly murky, chaotic sound and production that the album as a whole sound amazing. Drakon Darshan Satan is easily NOX FORMULAE‘s best outing to date, and will hopefully cement the bands position as one of the best acts in the Greek underground right now.

Rating: 8/10

Drakon Darshan Satan is set for release March 27th via Dark Descent Records. 

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