Album Review: Notturno – Obsessions (Hypnotic Dirge Records)

Notturno is an atmospheric black metal band based in Italy, founded by Vittorio Sabelli of Dawn of a Dark Age, and Suici.De.Pression. The lineup is rounded out with vocalist Kjiel (Eyelessight) and Drummer Sven. On April 29th, 2022, Hypnotic Dirge Records will be releasing their debut album ‘Obsessions’ on Digipack CD, alongside shirts and other merch.

Three behemoth offerings of dark, chilling and harsh atmospheric black metal. Notturno take the listener on a journey into dark and very deep depths. Where light struggles to reach and the silence is ominous and intimidating.

It’s this sense of foreboding that makes Fear so very palatable as the slow melody and whispered, throaty vocals swirl around the mind. Leading to a sharper and more intense explosion of black metal. Around the mid-point, it drops away again into near silence but slowly and surely builds back up to a latter half that just burns with metal intensity.

Impact made, Darkness is then spread far and wide as Notturno take their sweet time here. Delivering a mind-numbing attack on the senses with both melodic beauty and harsh horror. The latter mainly coming from the vocals.

Finally, it’s Falling. Where Notturno deliver nearly 15-minutes of enlightening melodies and deep atmosphere. Switching between thought-provoking and epic sounding dreaminess, frantic black metal, dark tones and so much more. It is, as are the other two, an absolute giant of atmospheric black metal.

An album that you don’t so much as listen too, rather you experience it.

Notturno – Obsessions Full Track Listing:

1. Fear
2. Darkness
3. Falling

Links

Bandcamp | Hypnotic Dirge Records