History & Biography Nachtymystium is a cautionary tale on how to not use drugs. Formed in 2000 as a project away from Ezurate by Azentrius and Pat McCormick near the festering refuge from humanity that is called Chicago, the band issued demos called Holocaust Of Eternity and Unholy Terrorist Cult, which were issued under Azentrius’ Majestic Twilight Creations’ imprint. The solo project of Azentrius a.k.a. Blake Judd was a black metal band in full black metal regalia. The band and Zalnik also participated in a split in 2001 where Zmij of the latter band contributed vocals to Nachtmystium’s portion. The group debuted on stage in early November, 2001 at the Unholy Devastation Festival in Aurora, Illinois, USA with Zmij on vocals and Marcus Kolar from Sarcophagus and Forest Of Impaled on bass. Live Onslaught was a 2002 release, which was recorded at The Unholy Devastation Festival.
Regimental Records signed the band and issued Reign Of The Malicious. Pat "Noctis" McCormick was on drums. Desire Of Goat in 2005 reissued this record, alongside the band’s self-titled EP of 2003. Speaking of re-releases Regimental issued The First Attacks - Demos 2000-2001, which included unreleased tracks in 2004. A couple of releases appeared on Autopsy Kitchen. A 2004 EP was called Eulogy IV and was released by Total Holocaust Records of Sweden. Live Onslaught #2 was an independent EP released in 2005. In that year the band also issued a video called Visual Propaganda: Live From The Pits Of Damnation through USA’s Pagan Flames Productions, which featured footage from various shows in Illinois, USA including one from Blitzkrieg Festival. In these years the band was touring with the likes of Zoroaster, Eyehategod, 1349 and Grand Belial’s Key. After a split release with Krieg called Daze West through Eerie Art Records featuring a couple of covers the band returned to issuing a full-length. Battle Kommand was partly owned by Azentrius. The band would sign with Century Media for North America only despite this. Candlelight would work with the act in Europe. Century Media signed the band for worldwide releases in 2012. The first fruit of this cooperation was Assassins: Black Meddle Pt. I hinting at the start of a series. During September, the band dropped off a North American tour with Opeth and High On Fire claiming it was "Due to some issues beyond our control". A tour with Wolves In The Throne Room proceeded. The band scheduled a 2012 tour with Krieg and Murmur for 2012.
During the band’s time many members came and went. These included Chris Black of Pharaoh, Superchrist and Dawnbringer, who was considered a co-permanent member at one point, guitarist Jeff Wilson (2006 – 2010), keyboardist Sanford Parker (2008 – 2013), drummer Wargoat Obscurum (2003 – 2006) and guitarist Andrew Markuszewski. Bassist Reid Raley of Rwake/Deadbird, for example, was announced as a permanent member in mid-2011. He left in 2012. Judd, in the meantime, got married.
In early 2013 Yosuke Konishi, owner of Nuclear War Now Productions!, accused Judd of being a rip off after the former man had offered to sell the latter the overstock merchandise of his Battle Kommand Records. Hells Headbangers Records also made a similar claim against Judd. Blake Judd was arrested for theft in October of 2013 forcing the band to cancel several shows. It was presumed that aside from the criminal element the man had resorted to theft to feed his drug addiction. He had pawned his roommate's guitar to buy drugs. The man admitted to having not shipped ordered copies of The World We Left Behind album, which triggered a statement from Century Media Records which promised rectification on their part and the dropping of Nachtmystium from its roster. Judd promised corrective action and claimed he would be seeking therapy. Angry at being scammed a group of would-be customers and suppliers formed a group, printed T-shirts and began organizing as Blakecrush. Earlier Judd issued a statement, which party read, “As for the merch issues and money stuff, yeah, I've fucked up with a lot of you and for this I'm terribly sorry." The band officially ceased to exist in 2013. The man later announced he means to return to music. Instead, while uploading new music to YouTube the man announced in 2016 that he had moved away from music. Ironically, Judd was in a band called Drug Honkey between 2012 and 2013.
Nachtmystium was booted From the Scion Rock Fest bill in 2009 after being deemed as politically fascist and a Nazi band. The band vehemently denied the charge and was threatening legal action. Nachtmystium music had earlier been released or distributed by White supremacist labels. The same year also had the band bowing out of a tour with The Haunted after Judd injured his leg and was confined to a wheelchair. Twilight was a black metal project band of Judd and members of Leviathan, Krieg and more. The man claimed painkillers added to his pile of addictions. The group signed with Southern Lord and split up and returned. The band's founder was a junkie and homeless now. Nachtmystium signed with Prophecy Productions in 2017 and had an EP entitled Resilient. Ancient Howls Of Dawning Fury appeared in the middle of 2018. It was actually an earlier version of the band's debut record that the act had scrapped. Prophecy Productions reissued Assassins: Black Meddle Pt. I in 2018. Blake was stationed in California now. A demo compilation, called Premonitions Of Imminent Disaster: The World We Left Behind Demos, soon appeared independently. Lupus Lounge released an EP called Resilient still in 2018. The same label handled the new and 2024 full-length, Blight Privilege. Side A addressed geopolitics and side B focused on the main man's past. Francesco Miatto drummed.
Reviews NACHTMYSTIUM - EULOGY IV - SOUTHERN LORD
Illinois-based Nachtmystium features members with much history on the underground metal scene and so it is not surprising to hear that the band owes more to the originators of the black metal sub-genre than the diluted sheep that followed. American black metal though, to be sincere, has a checkered past which would automatically be a black mark against this bunch. Speaking of black mark, Nachtmystium's closest analogy would be mid-era Bathory with all the tension between aggression and underground disharmony and melody and quest for historical perspective that goes with it. The five original songs on the disc speak to the band's affinity for Bathory, but also present a somewhat nonconformist attempt at delivery. The sound quality is not high; the music thankfully fares better.
On the flip side, the band has followed the trend of performing and recording a bunch of cover versions and appending them to the second half of the disc. This edition of Eulogy IV contains Nachtmystium's take on Earth, Burzum and Von songs. Black metal diehards would find that this EP is still worth acquiring despite that trendy component. - Ali "The Metallian"
NACHTMYSTIUM - Same - BATTLE KOMMAND 
Lest there is confusion out there this is not a new EP. In fact, Nachtmystium is the CD version of the band’s EP originally issued on vinyl in 2002 by Regimental Records. The band, whose line-up has been like shifting sand, has moved on since this release, but fans would know the EP’s songs feature grim and necro black metal with moderately fast evil incantations a la early Satyricon, Judas Iscariot or Darkthrone. Indeed, the album features a cover of Judas Iscariot’s Gaze upon Heaven In Flames, while one Akhenaten produced the recording. The band’s adventure is not in its complexity, for the music is fairly repetitious and linear, rather Nachtmystium benefits from the mood and anger generated by its stern conviction and rare determination to bring its philosophy to the scene in its own way. Albums like Nachtmystium are not only beneficial in and of themselves, but also serve as a reminder that black metal is not Dimmu Borgir, Cradle Of Filth or other glam posers. - Ali “The Metallian”
NACHTMYSTIUM - INSTINCT:DECAY - BATTLE KOMMAND 
Is there really another Nachtmystium album this year already? These things just keep coming, although admittedly not all of them are new recording and releases. Instant:Decay has several great songs (especially The Antichrist Messiah which is also a great title), but the album’s drawback is its inconsistent quality. While this and several other songs hit the black metal nail on the head (or the cross if you wish), several others are either too bland or too close to early Bathory (Eternal ground for example) to be hailed as innovative or top-notch. A couple of interludes even smack of classic rock believe it or not.
Having said that, and the electronic cameos aside, this is cold, barren and savage black metal for underground hounds and underground hounds only. That much is appreciated and given the extreme nature of it all, which includes the vocals, Instant:Decay is still above average and deserving of a sixty mark. - Ali “The Metallian”
NACHTMYSTIUM - BLIGHT PRIVILEGE - PROPHECY
Many metal bands have used snippets of movies as intros, but not many underground black metal bands have picked a sample from an action film like Death Wish as Nachtmystium does with Blight Privilege. This is the first proper album of Nachtmystium in ten years. First, however, an admission that the attitudes, dispositions and utterings of artists often affect this writer’s opinions of their music. It can’t be helped. It becomes difficult to appreciate the music when a band or artist is a nuisance of some sort. Nachtmystium’s Blake Judd being a junkie is his business, but stealing from metal fans, labels and bands is another matter entirely. This affects my outlook on the band. With that said, here is as straight a review of the new record as possible.
The level of intricacy and compositional aptitude on Blight Privilege is rather impressive for a man who, hooked on drugs, disbanded his act, went into rehab and prison and spent time away from music. Whether it was creativity knocking on the door or commercial imperatives, Nachtmystium came back with a proper full-length on Prophecy Productions. The new album is deemed to be both political in nature (side A) and subsequently more personal (side B). Survivor's Remorse, the opening song, is suitably horrific, harmonic and hazardous to mainstream ears, but the drums courtesy of new-ish member/band fan drummer Francesco Miatto are one-dimensional in style and monotone in production. The anguished vocals, which are over-processed, and stormy guitars constitute the strength of the record, yet alas the Pan-Thy-Monium-reminiscent keyboards betray weakness and superfluousness. The overall structure is more polished than albums of long past. The next track Predator Phoenix has a discernable hook-ridden rhythm. Even the drums show a modicum of life here. Still, why go so far to find and hire a mediocre drummer with an even more mediocre sound? The video for the song revisits the act’s history and does its best to rile all the people Blake scammed, disappointed or denigrated up. A Slow Decay contains alternative riffing and ambiance combined with tripping guitars and harsh vocals. The alternative and poppy melody is hardly subtle. Conquistador offers up welcome speed and energy. Blind Spot is more dynamic and adventurous. The Arduous March samples Blade Runner. The title track hearkens back to the act’s early Bathory influences. Indeed, the abum is both blight and privilege.
The band’s history is not a pretty picture for either the band or its listeners. One would be liable to forgive the transgressions - admittedly, it is for those directly affected to judge and decide - if the man was repentant. Yet, reading his musings since he instead combined a perfunctory apology with a cavalier and macho attitude when he invites those unhappy with the situation to tell it to him to his face. It boggles the mind that someone first rip offs people. then says sorry, before qualifying it all with a dare to ‘say it to my face.’ It may be a modern attitude or an American culture. Either way, it betrays a scuzziness that is not confined solely to the vestiges of drug use, given how it lingers post-event. - Ali “The Metallian”
Interviews
|
