Search - Tidfall :: Nucleus

Not your everyday black metal album

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 03/15/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"2003's Nucleus is the third album from Norwegian black metal band Tidfall. I'm not a huge fan of black metal, but there are a few bands whose talents transcend the genre's typical satanic trappings, and Tidfall is one of them.



As much as I enjoyed the band's previous effort (2001's Instinct Gate), Nucleus takes the band's sound to a much higher level. It's the same crushing black metal sound, but with Dimmu Borgir style symphonic arrangements (used as an accent, not a crutch), Samael style keyboards (not full-on techno, but definitely leaning in that direction), and a level of progression and technical proficiency that brings to mind recent Borknagar albums (sans the clean vocals). I don't know that I'd call it avant-garde, but it's definitely experimental, and a much needed break from the black metal norm.



Nucleus is well worth seeking out if you're interested in extreme metal. Fans of Dimmu Borgir, Lunaris, Borknagar, Samael, and Hollenthon in particular should definitely give Tidfall a try.

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