Release Date: 4 February 2022
Song Count: 12
Duration: 50 minutes, 42 seconds
Rating: 5.4/10
Description:
Here comes a third one from the Ván Records label for the start of the month: (DOLCH), a German band formerly deep in the scenes of black metal before taking a more gothic twist later on, with Nacht. The second album of theirs from a few years back carries the word for "night" in their native language and appropriately captures the essence of nighttime and darkness musically, using a literal dozen of varying tracks to do so. Citing personal experiences living in the cities of Los Angeles, Seattle and Berlin and witnessing the urban hours of the dark, the band reflects its findings directly into the music, channelling in an unmatchable atmosphere.
The first 5 tracks of the album set an imperfect yet solid precedent of setting a particular mood with its classic genre-suited instrumentation of the electric guitar, drums and bass, as well as song progression and the subtle use of sound effects. The weight of the music, though not going all in on the metal influences, nevertheless have an impact on providing a rich enough sound for the album to carry its set load. While far from the most eye-opening work of its kind out there, this first half achieves its desired effect whilst also sounding pleasant enough to sell its premise. This all seems to damningly wear off during the second half, however, with a series of songs that, in spite of their best efforts, fall short in various levels and leave one wishing for a higher level of quality as seen in the former few tracks.
Even without going in with particularly high expectations, Nacht was a record that ended up sending me off with a certain amount of disappointment, especially towards the latter part of the album due to its rocky yet still promising build-up. Though the atmospheric elements stick around as successful in their impact, the track themselves in their listenability and enjoyment leave a lot to be desired. (DOLCH) is a band that has plenty of potential to flourish with their talent through another work of theirs; Nacht, however, does not emerge as the right one for it. A valiant effort, but not one I will be returning to anytime soon.