Assassins: Black Meddle, Part 1
| Assassins: Black Meddle, Part 1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||
| Studio album by Nachtmystium | ||||
| Released | June 10, 2008 | |||
| Recorded | December 2007 at Volume Studios | |||
| Genre | Black metal, psychedelic rock, stoner metal, experimental rock | |||
| Length | 45:05 | |||
| Label | Century Media | |||
| Producer | Nachtmystium, Chris Black & Sanford Parker | |||
| Nachtmystium chronology | ||||
|
||||
Assassins: Black Meddle, Part 1 is the fourth full-length album by Chicago band Nachtmystium. It was released via Century Media Records in the United States on June 10, 2008, and by Candlelight Records in Europe on June 23, 2008.[1] The record was recorded in December 2007 at Sanford Parker's Volume Studios. The album contains such experimental musical flirtations as saxophones and other non-black metal musical "meddling".[2]
The album's subtitle itself incorporates the title of Pink Floyd's 1971 breakthrough album Meddle, while the album's opening track, "One of These Nights", is a homage to the Meddle's "One of These Days".[3]
According to the Chicago Tribune, Blake Judd, the band's founder, claims the idea for the album's name came from his desire to reestablish Nachtmystium's image in the music community. He states, "The idea of 'Assassins' is that an assassin kills, gets rid of or destroys something. It's not directly about us. We want to assassinate all these preconceived notions about where the metal community feels we belong in music and want to do our own thing. And what we do is black meddle."[2]
The band uploaded "Your True Enemy", a song from Assassins, onto their MySpace page in February 2008, and the title track "Assassins" in April 2008.[4]
Daymare Recordings released a Japanese version of Assassins: Black Meddle, Part 1 with bonus tracks on June 20, 2008.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
All lyrics written by Chris Black, except where noted, all music composed by Blake Judd, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "One of These Nights" | 1:50 | ||
| 2. | "Assassins" | Judd | 8:07 | |
| 3. | "Ghosts of Grace" | Black, Judd | Black, Judd | 4:49 |
| 4. | "Away from the Light" (Instrumental) | Black | 2:19 | |
| 5. | "Your True Enemy" | Judd, Jeff Wilson | 4:15 | |
| 6. | "Code Negative" | Lord Imperial | 6:48 | |
| 7. | "Omnivore" | Judd, Wilson | 5:05 | |
| 8. | "Seasick (Part 1: Drowned at Dusk)" | 4:52 | ||
| 9. | "Seasick (Part 2: Oceanborne)" | 2:48 | ||
| 10. | "Seasick (Part 3: Silent Sunrise)" | 4:12 |
[edit] Production
- Produced by Sanford Parker & Nachtmystium
- Engineered & Mixed by Sanford Parker
- Mastered by Collin Jordan
[edit] Personnel
[edit] Nachtmystium
- Blake Judd - lead guitars, vocals
- Jeff Wilson - rhythm guitars
- Zion Meagher - bass, backing vocals
- Tony Laureano - drums, percussion
[edit] Additional Musicians
- Chris Black - keyboards, programming
- Bruce Lamont - saxophone
- Sanford Parker - moog synthesizer, keyboards, effects
- Matt Johnsen - guest lead guitar on tracks 2, 8, 9, 10
- Jeff Sealy - guest lead guitar on tracks 5, 6
[edit] Reception
 |
This article is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this article to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (March 2009) |
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [5] |
| Pitchfork Media | (8.9/10)[6] |
| PopMatters |   [7] |
Carlos Ramirez of IGN gave Assassins a 9/10 rating, as well as an editors choice award.[8] Ramirez later named Assassins on his list of "10 Great Black Metal Albums."[9]
Andy O'Connor, a writer for The Daily Texan acknowledged the band's innovative approach, but claimed the album was compromised "by lack of direction and ill-fitting production."[10]
Brent Burton of the Washington City Paper believed Assassins featured a more mature sound compared to Nachtmystium's other releases. He also praised the band for incorporating jazz and psychedelic elements into their black metal sound.[11]
Pitchfork Media claimed Assassins was one 2008's top releases, and gave it an 8.9 out of 10. Reviewer Brandon Stosuy claimed their sound to be "unique, powerful blend of 70s-drenched black'n'roll." He went on to further claim, "Assassins contains big, almost stadium-sized anthems, monumental drinking songs, gorgeous instrumental excursions, prog-metal, and solos that make you catch your breath".[12]
KNAC gave the album an 'A'-rating. They described the album, stating, "Atop a raw, furious black metal foundation, Nachtmystium - whose earlier work was way more 'true Norwegian black metal'-inspired, a la Darkthrone - add a liberal helping of [progressive], psychedelia and classic rock, and bring it all together with organic, retro production to craft something utterly unique and pretty damn cool."[13]
Jon Caramanica of the New York Times considered Assassins to be "more pedestrian" in contrast to Nachtmystium's previous release, Instinct: Decay. He commented, "Most of the songs from the new album, especially “Ghosts of Grace,” were corrosive, dense and technically flamboyant. And Mr. Judd’s growl was heavy, foregoing the lucidity he gave it on record."[14]
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Genghis Tron & Nachtmystium Part II". Youtube (Contraband Candy). 2008-06-16. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIATRl-xwsA. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- ^ a b Gendron, Bob (2008-06-01). "Nachtmystium's new album". Chicago Tribune. http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/chi-nachtmystium-0601jun01,0,4847672.story. Retrieved 2008-06-03.
- ^ Bracelin, Jason (2008-07-16). "This Year Proving Good for Your Ears". Las Vegas Review-Journal (.redorbit.com). http://www.redorbit.com/news/entertainment/1480266/this_year_proving_good_for_your_ears/. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
- ^ Gibson, Doug (2008-04-28). "Nachtmystium Posts New Song Online". metalunderground.com. http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=36079. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Assassins: Black Meddle, Pt.1 > Overview". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r1385842. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
- ^ "Nachtmystium Assassins: Black Meddle, Pt. 1". Pitchfork Media Inc.. 2008. http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11584-assassins-black-meddle-pt-1/. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
- ^ Begrand, Adrien (June 23, 2008). "Nachtmystium: Assassins: Black Meddle Part 1". PopMatters. http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/nachtmystium-assassins-black-meddle-part-1. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
- ^ Ramirez, Carlos (2008-06-10). "Nachtmystium – Assassins: Black Meddle Pt.1 Review". IGN. http://music.ign.com/articles/880/880724p1.html. Retrieved 2008-06-11.
- ^ Ramirez, Carlos (2009-01-06). "10 Great Black Metal Albums". IGN. pp. 5. http://music.ign.com/articles/941/941881p5.html. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
- ^ O'Connor, Andy (2008-06-24). "Sound Bites". The Daily Texan. http://media.www.dailytexanonline.com/media/storage/paper410/news/200806/24/LifeArts/Sound.Bites-3384638.shtml. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
- ^ Burton, Brent (2008-06-25). "Metal Defectors". Washington City Paper. http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/display.php?id=35803. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
- ^ Stosuy, Brandon (2008-07-09). "Nachtmystium: Assassins: Black Meddle, Pt. 1 (Century Media/Candlelight; 2008)". Pitchfork. http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/51072-nachtmystium-assassins-black-meddle-pt-1. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
- ^ Atkinson, Peter (2008-07-23). "The Coroner Report Part II: ‘True Norwegian Black Metal’". KNAC. http://knac.com/article.asp?ArticleID=6448. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
- ^ Caramanica, Jon (2008-12-09). "Dark Side of the Metal, Played Deep Into the Night". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/10/arts/music/10nach.html?ref=music. Retrieved 2008-12-17.
