NOCTUARY ‘Recollection’ (Quadrivium Records) RATING: 7/10

By JEFF MAKI

Not to be confused with Obituary or Mortuary, Recollection is the new release from the long-running death metal band Noctuary. The name Noctuary itself means a nightly journal or a record of what passes in the night. That effectively describes the band's dark sound. Noctuary plays an exciting montage of death, black and atmospheric metal. There are even hints of good old rock n' roll thrown in here and there. Most notably, the album's mid-pace rhythm and vocals sometimes recall James Hetfield. Recollection features three new songs, three new interpretations of older Noctuary material, instrumentals and a live track.

I have to admit, up until a few hours ago, I was completely unfamiliar with this band, who now reside on Quadrivium Records. From the looks of the album artwork and band logo, you may, like me, get the impression that this is a black metal band. While not a black metal band in the truest sense, Noctuary do have blast beats, raw production and raspy vocals. But they don't use them to the extent of the dark lords of Norway. The production is raw with some possibly intentional sloppiness at the record's opening. The closest comparison I can reach for here is to the blackened death metal band Necrophobic. There is an underlying, dark atmospheric effect here, much like the Swedish metallers. The guitar tone is similar, as is the drumming style, production and vocals, at times. Noctuary includes some acoustic passages toward the latter part of the album, which add even more haunting atmosphere. The guitar work throughout this release is menacing, with memorable riffs and classic metal solos.

Noctuary makes a mark for themselves on songs like “A Blissful Scorn” or “Sorrow in Winter Darkness,” on which the vocals resemble either Hetfield or Brian Fair of Shadows Fall. This song, which originally appeared on 1998's For Salvation, is the catchiest and strongest of Recollection and gets my nod for a single/video. Noctuary also retains song structure in the vein of classic metal like Megadeth or Iron Maiden. Songs have choruses and a certain repetitive quality, which is becoming less common with all the noisecore polluting heavy metal these days. I'm actually surprised and maybe even a little embarrassed that I've never heard this band before. I was a big fan of Necrophobic's latest release, Hrimthursum, so it's not hard for me to like this album. While they are several notches down from that level, Noctuary still offers a superb effort. I'm eager to hear their past material.