Nyctophobia
Beyond The Pillars

"Beyond The Pillars". First and only EP by Nyctophobia, a Funeral Doom band from the United Kingdom, released on December 3rd 2008, with a limited edition of 100 copies. The duration is 31:10 minutes, divided into 3 tracks.

The first of these is the dark "Forgotten Emperor", 11:00 on the same rhythm given by a tired and slow drum, a guitar with dirty sounds that repeats the same riff for almost the entire duration of the "song". The voice has a tone reminiscent of Death Doom, it isn't heard much, but it articulates the words well, allowing the little text present in this first track to be understood. Around the 9-minute mark, the guitar starts to break out of the usual rhythm, becoming a bit more noticeable. Then the voice fades, and after another 40 seconds of depressing repetition, "Forgotten Emperor" ends.

Then begins "And They Gathered", which without much surprise starts all the same and repetitive, but somewhat surprisingly begins with the usual Death Doom vocals after only 1 and a half minutes, which are heard much more in this track, which seems almost devoid of text, except for a few roars or gurgles somewhat marked, then aspirated, which do not cover the guitar's subdued sounds and the slow and obsessive drums. Note that the guitar is less repetitive this time. In this song, one can notice the use of background sounds, adding a certain dark ambient touch. Around 8 minutes in, the rhythm has stabilized and returned to being repetitive, like in the previous track. The singer now uses a light voice, it seems he is blowing into the microphone. Around 10 minutes in, the drums disappear, the guitar goes silent, and a calm and empty session begins where only the bass, so far in the shadows, is heard; it continues like this for 2 minutes until the track ends.

Now it's time for "War". The impression from the first distorted and dirty guitar notes is that it is different from the other two, while still remaining in the band's style. Here the voice starts almost immediately, there's no initial wait, the drums are faster, keeping the rhythm and seeming more alive. The other instruments, however, remain constantly dark and slow. The vocals in this song seem mute, pronouncing few words that aren't meant to express anything, it's just the roaring of this morbid music. The listener's initial hope is shattered when, at the 4-minute mark, it becomes clear that it's just pure obsession, endless but all the same sequences, and it remains so until the eighth minute.

Thus concludes the album by Nyctophobia, which I believe is very good. The Death Doom voice I've already mentioned stands out above all, it isn't the usual gloomy and cold scream common in this genre, and the use of instruments is interesting and different compared to other Funeral Doom bands. It certainly isn't an album that marks a turning point, but I think these guys aren't remotely interested in that, nor in achieving success, nor in pleasing people. Otherwise, they wouldn't have chosen a genre like this.