Black metal cultist Nihil Invocation had presented us with their latest ritual offering titled Crestfallen Stronghold. This is their sixth full length release besides a sea of splits, demos, and EPs. The one man behind it known as Deathwalker is prolific at what he does, constantly releasing raw, dark, and atmospheric black metal over the years to some mixed reviews.
I’ve touched on his albums before and felt a little disappointed at what I heard. The raw simplicity of those releases ended up sounding crude and left an amateurish impression. As the years passed by and many different projects later, it only makes sense that Deathwalker would slowly sharpen his skills, honing it in like a fine blade and slicing through the underground with his presence.
Crestfallen Stronghold is most likely the cleanest and is the most well put together album under the Nihil Invocation banner. Still holding many of the same traits and qualities like catchy and raw guitar riffs layered over a very up front and in your face production style that harkens back to his previous releases, though this time showing the quality and skills to his approach now. The album is dark and dreary, baring a truly nihilistic atmosphere that has always permeated the Deathwalker’s works and when combined with his earworm rifts it creates a very distinct sound that no other band can truly copy.
Every time I listen to Nihil Invocation, I can’t help but think of Darkthrone. Both bands embody a spirit of primitivism, but while Darkthrone channels it through aggression and ferocity, Nihil Invocation presents it more somberly. On Crestfallen Stronghold, however, there’s a new edge, a kind of underlying ferocity that wasn’t as present in previous releases. Perhaps it’s the richer production or the heightened focus on atmospheric quality that brings to mind early 2000s Darkthrone, like Ravishing Grimness or Sardonic Wrath. Though still, Nihil Invocation remains less overtly aggressive.
I’ve come back around on this band. Deathwalker has truly cemented his place as a modern-day black metal sage. His grasp of the genre is very authentic. To me, I don’t feel like he is playing up some sort of black metal aesthetic or he’s trying to cash in on the cool new goth look. I’ve always saw potential but was never convinced until this release. Hopefully Nihil Invocation will continue down this path, and get only stronger and continue to preserve the old sounds of black metal.