History & Biography The UK-based man put together his project in 2000 and was active in the ensuing five years. 2001 and 2002 brought the Evisceration and Winds Of Sorrow demos. Then came a split, called Another Dying Slowly, with Canada’s Arkadia. The band issued a full-length called Palace Of The Dark Light through the man’s own imprint. Lifeless Productions of USofA issued a cassette EP called Austere II & III in 2004. The man became inactive.
Nigrescent means ‘trending towards black.’
Reviews ARKADIA/NIGRESCENT - ANOTHER DYING SLOWLY - BLACKTHRONE
Another CD with a morbidly appropriate presentation arrives at the gates of Metallian Towers. This time it is a split release with a different arrangement. While most split CDs on the market have the participating bands take turns, Blackthrone alternates the tracks between the English and the Canadian acts. It's better musically to listen to and hell of a pain to review! Hell and pain appropriately enough are good words for this material is tortured beyond death. Thankfully (just banish them next time please!) keeping the synthesizers in the background, the CD taken as a whole is the meeting of Burzum with Darkthrone. Doom is coloured black and gleaned with ambience to ready the listener for the crossing of the Norwegian inspirants.This is for the true underground maven and anyone else ought to simply stay away. One has to admire the brilliant moniker of Nigrescent in either case and ask if it is inspired by Infernal Majesty.
NIGRESCENT - PALACE OF THE DARK LIGHT - BLACKTHRONE
The more one listens to Albion's Nigrescent the more the early Bathory influences come to the fore. There is no denying the inspiration The Return has provided all of black metal and Nigrescent is hardly an exception. What the man (yes, it's a solo project) adds is a quantity of ambience into the fray. While most songs represent the meeting of naked and underground aggression with the early fuzz of Bathory, others like The Curtain Of Night (Parts I and II) delve into the forlorn atmosphere of ancient times. It's hard to be supportive of this kind of a thing in the middle of a glorious metal album, but taken in the context of the cover, absence of colour and general aura pursued by Nigrescent it is not difficult to understand the approach. It hit me again last year, whilst on my latest royal tour to England, how inspirational England can be and what treasures it retains. Palace Of The Dark Light speaks of all that. Fans should be aware though that this release shares songs with the Another Dying Slowly CD.
NIGRESCENT - EVISCERATION - BLACKTHRONE
This short MCD kicks off with static as if to announce the cacophony that lies ahead. This is officially Blackthrone's first release and it is the noisiest output of Nigrescent also known as Vrolg. There is a clear line here back to the Burzum demos and subsequent efforts. The speed varies at will, but the rawness remains and reminds the listener of the wanton disregard in those early Burzum rehearsals. Evisceration features four tracks and is about chanting for the deepest of underground dwellers. For only they might appreciate the blazen bleakness buried beneath by Blackthrone.
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