mavradoxa-nightmarrow-reviews

Review from The Headbanging Moose

Mon, 23 Sep 2019 06:36:55 +0100

From: The Headbanging Moose

Published: September 20, 2019

Let me begin this review by saying that I was absolutely shocked when I read earlier this year that the beyond promising and talented Rochester, New York-based Atmospheric Black Metal band Mavradoxa was calling it quits after only a few years of existence. Fortunately for all of us, fans of dark and atmospheric music, the band left us with three excellent full-length albums, those being their 2016 debut opus Sojourners, their fantastic 2017 release Lethean Lament, and more recently Nightmarrow, released earlier this year via Hypnotic Dirge Records. Although related to the tonal atmosphere and character of their previous albums, Nightmarrow sees the band developing and intensifying their song-writing ability, crafting simultaneously cohesive yet unpredictable songs with a progressive hue that is still rooted in Atmospheric Black Metal.

Engineered by Nicholas Alan at Subterranean Studios, mixed by Stephen Parker (Pillorian, Maestus), mastered by Justin Weis at Trakworx Recording, and featuring a stunning artwork by American artist Dylan Garrett Smith, Nightmarrow represents a meditation on the isolation and hopelessness of our age (particularly in the realm of the urban), and the consequences of technology and voracious consumption of resources. Mavradoxa’s founding duo Zachary Smith, also known as Nival, and Monica Finger, also known as Lux, together with guitarist Tyler Stasierowski (from The Highest Leviathan) and bassist Josh Mason (from Wandering Oak and Acrylazea), perfectly depict that feeling of solitude and desperation in Nightmarrow, positioning the unfortunately now defunct band as one of the most creative and interesting bands of the underground scene in the United States.

Featuring guest vocals by Matt Greenwood and an additional guitar solo by Nicholas Alan, the opening track Maple begins in full force with the razor-edged riffs by Zach and Tyler and the intricate beats by Monica generating a rumbling ambience perfect for Zach’s anguished roars, sounding as powerful and grim just the way we like it in Atmospheric Black Metal. Furthermore, the song’s progressive ending flows smoothly into the even darker musical voyage entitled The Carrion Shade, where Josh and Monica make the earth tremble with their respective instruments while the entire band darkly intones the song’s cryptic lyrics (“Black sun, black moon / In shadows, entombed / Flame, gold, & rust / slowly coalesced / in the pale of the / last winter sunset”). This is Progressive Black Metal at its finest showcasing all band members in absolute sync, therefore delivering a crushing wall of blackened sounds for our total delight, in special Zach and Tyler with their flammable guitars.

Matt Greenwood returns in the title-track Nightmarrow, where the music gets closer to what was offered to us in Lethean Lament, presenting more introspective and atmospheric sounds and passages. Zach sounds utterly enraged and acid on vocals, with Monica’s gentle clean vocals bringing more balance to this dense and bold feast of extreme music. Then an acoustic, ethereal bridge named Rustling Leaves soothes our souls and warms up our senses for Black Crystal Snowfall, featuring guest vocals by Swamp and sheer poetry flowing from its lyrics (“Ancestral whispers beckon us back / to a starless womb, to a time before / this place where all is languishing, / where all is ensnared by the grasp / of synthetic hands, becoming, / and ripping our bones from within”), also bringing forward elements from Blackened Doom added to their core atmospheric music. Monica’s steady beats and Zach’s and Tyler’s crisp riffs will undoubtedly embrace your soul from start to finish, reaching a climatic and piercing grand finale that gently morphs into a melancholic outro titled Umbra, where Zach and Tyler deliver a passionate performance with their acoustic guitars, concluding Nightmarrow on a high and pensive note.

If Nightmarrow, which by the way is available in full on YouTube and on Spotify, is indeed the last breath of Atmospheric Black Metal by Mavradoxa no one knows for sure. The band might decide to come back from their “retirement” one day to smash our senses again with their somber music, who knows? Until that day arrives (if it arrives, of course), you can keep in touch with Zach and Monica on Facebook, and purchase your copy of Mavradoxa’s final journey through the realms of atmospheric and extreme music from the Hypnotic Dirge Records’ BandCamp page (or click HERE for all details about the band and where to buy their music), as well as from your regular retailers such as Apple Music, Amazon, CD Baby and Discogs. Having said that, it’s with a heavy heart that I finalize this review (or maybe I should call it a tribute), as heavy, ominous and splendorous as the music by the now extinct Mavradoxa. Thank you for your music, Zah and Monica, and I’m sure we’ll be hearing from you two again in a not-so-distant future.

Reviewed by: Gustavo Scuderi

Review from Aristocrazia Webzine

Mon, 29 Jul 2019 18:57:53 +0100

From: Aristocrazia Webzine

Published: July 25, 2019

Original Link

Non sono state di certo le idee a mancare in casa Mavradoxa, formazione statunitense capace di sfornare tre album in soli quattro anni per poi sciogliersi a pochi mesi dall’uscita di questo, ultimo, Nightmarrow. I primi due, Sojourners e Lethean Lament, rispettivamente del 2016 e 2017, erano un concentrato di post-black metal di matrice americana fortemente debitore delle sonorità care a Falls Of Rauros e Panopticon su tutti. In questa sede sembra invece che i Nostri abbiano leggermente cambiato rotta e, pur rimanendo fedeli al black metal atmosferico, ne rivedano la formula in chiave più diretta. Senza quindi snaturare la loro proposta, la sensazione è che i quattro musicisti abbiano deciso di investire le proprie energie nella ricerca di un suono più personale e distinguibile nel calderone del metal estremo nord americano.

Nessuno spazio è ad esempio concesso ai sognanti arpeggi generalmente utilizzati in apertura, qui sostituiti da un attacco immediato di tutti gli strumenti, quasi a voler cogliere impreparato l’ascoltatore. Fin dall’iniziale “Maple” è chiaro infatti che i Mavradoxa faranno del continuo intreccio tra riff melodici e dai tratti quasi folk e altri più malvagi e introspettivi la propria arma di battaglia. In questo senso non mancheranno inaspettati sconfinamenti in territori più classicamente heavy e prog, mossa coraggiosa per il genere, ma che — a mio modo di vedere — aiuta a rendere Nightmarrow più variegato e originale rispetto ai predecessori. Dietro alle pelli troviamo Monica Finger, batterista dallo stile asciutto ma creativo, in grado di valorizzare appieno le scelte compiute in fase compositiva, senza appiattire i brani sotto i colpi di uno sterile blast beat. Ben riuscita anche l’alternanza di voci tra la stessa Monica e Zach Smith, che ben interpretano i melanconici testi incentrati sul malsano rapporto tra l’uomo e la natura, in un momento storico nel quale sembra che l’avanzamento tecnologico sia l’unica via da perseguire. Il tema trattato è caro anche all’etichetta per la quale l’album è stato rilasciato, la canadese Hypnotic Dirge Records, che pochi mesi fa ha appunto pubblicato la compilation The Depths Of The Abyss Knows No Bounds a sostegno del movimento 350.org

Le sei canzoni, di cui due strumentali, che compongono la terza prova in studio dei Mavradoxa scorrono veloci, conquistando l’ascoltatore tra cambi di ritmo inaspettati, sezioni più ampollose e pochi, ma ben costruiti, attacchi frontali. La formazione di Rochester ha abilmente asciugato il proprio suono, rendendolo più diretto e tagliente, riuscendo comunque a mantenere intatte le fredde atmosfere che avevano caratterizzato le precedenti uscite. Copertina e grafica, curate da Dylan Garrett Smith, si allineano poi ai canoni del genere senza far gridare al miracolo, così come la produzione e il mixing.

Canto del cigno per i quattro musicisti statunitensi, Nightmarrow mette in luce un potenziale forse non del tutto espresso, ma che sarà comunque in grado di regalare un sorriso a tutti gli amanti del genere.

Reviewed by: Huldradans

Review from Ave Noctum

Sat, 20 Jul 2019 19:41:21 +0100

From: Ave Noctum

Published: July 18, 2019

Original Link

North America has a rich heritage when it comes to atmospheric black metal with bands such as Wolves in the Throne Room, Agalloch, Alda and Panopticon having evolved a style of their own, evoking images of desolate landscapes and dense north American forests.

Mavradoxa are another such band, hailing from upstate New York and having firmly set out their stall on previous releases as pedlars of atmospheric black and post black metal in a similar vein to their compatriots, and I was keen to give their latest release a listen.

‘Nightmarrow’ doesn’t mess around with superfluous intros and gets straight down to business with ‘Maple’ which sounds almost upbeat as a repetitive rhythmic riffs lays the foundation upon which the track is built. As the track progresses, melodic interludes sit comfortably with harsh vocals before leading into ‘The Carrion Shade’. This has a more sinister atmosphere, with incisive vocals and a maleficent melody underpinning it. As the nine minute opus builds the mood shifts becoming more melancholic particularly during the second half of the track where an instrumental section creates a pensively brooding ambience which ultimately becomes hypnotic until the track fades.

The title track follows, and is another nine minute epic. Following a relatively serene opening, the track builds to a dense soundscape before relenting into an instrumental section. This, of course, does not last and soon doomy black metal tomes are swirling around until the track finally acquiesces and fades out into ‘Rustling Leaves’ which is a brief acoustic hiatus.

Clocking in at nearly eleven minutes, ‘Black Crystal Snowfall’ follows, once more creating a bleak mood with solid riffing and tormented vocals but could really have done with being a few minutes shorter. The album is brought to a close with placid, but haunting acoustic piece ‘Umbra’ which is very effective in giving a sense of completion.

This is not a bad album at all, and invokes images of forsaken forests as well as perhaps bleak urban landscapes at times but may have been a little more effective if a few of the tracks had been trimmed a little. There is plenty of talent on display here and the band clearly has a lot of potential, but this is not the finished article yet. I will however, be keeping an eye on future releases as this band has great potential.

Afternote: After writing the review, I was disappointed to see on the Mavradoxa facebook page that the band have called it a day. We wish them all the best with their future endeavours and look forward to hearing more musical output from them in different guises.

Rating: 7/10

Reviewed by: Andy Pountney

Review from Metal Addicts

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 19:35:01 +0100

From: Metal Addicts

Published: June 25, 2019

Original Link

It is always such a great surprise when a band combines the old and the new with a very personal harsh, and some kind of, squeaky voice – in the good sense, my child of the night. Mavradoxa with “Nightmarrow” get very near what Cirith Ungol did in the 1980s. That’s the very first reminder that comes to my mind due to the strange, but yet exciting instrumentals and the aforementioned vocals. When I say strange I really don’t mean that instrumentals are awkward, it’s simply that they are out of the pattern. Not exactly out of the pattern, but it’s that one may find odd they way Mavradoxa play due to tha melodic, and yet, personal tones. Try at once “The Carrion Shade” and go right to its seven to eight minutes. The combination of the melodic, but thin tone will give you a great sample of what Mavradoxa mean.

Now I’ve got to write about the vocals just because they are really something. His voice is very, but very near Cirith Ungol’s Tim Baker very personal tone of voice. Though, Zach Smith’s tone is a bit more Black Metalish, of course, than Tim’s, yet the feeling is the same. When I listen to Mavradoxa Cirith Ungol come right away to my mind. This is such a cumpliment, guys! Check Cirith Ungol out and you’ll get what I’m trying to say. Compositions also help a lot to get this feeling because of their melodic and somewhat uncanny sonance. There is a 1970ish mood that fills up all the songs especially when it comes to the guitars tones.

“Nightmarrow” is an album that will please old timers and the ones eager for news. Of course, no news enough to still be Metal. Tracks like “Black Crystal Snowfall” sound a bit more Cirith Ungol than the others, but the feeling is great. The old and the new come together in six nice and easy tracks that fill up your day with that joy that only Metal can give you.

Mavradoxa “Nightmarrow” was released on May 02nd via Hypnotic Dirge Records.

Review from Metal Temple

Tue, 18 Jun 2019 21:44:39 +0100

From: Metal Temple

Published: June 18, 2019

Original Link

New York's MAVRADOXA is like going to the woods, those ancient places where you commune with the spirit of nature, but modern at the same time, not too far away, and with Wi-Fi. Although they have a lot similarities and share influences of bands that came before them, they're really trying to forge their own way, and that's something to be thankful for. In a time where many metal musicians get complacent and think emulating what they have heard before is the only way, sometimes seeing the forest, not for the trees is good for business.

“Maple” has a really strong beginning; straight to the point. It's done in a MAIDEN style, (don’t get me wrong, it's there.), and then the vocals blast in accentuating and influencing the whole aura. It's a long track, but one that I think you'll enjoy because it sounds like one constant piece, rather than just trying to wing a couple of ideas into an epic song. Quite enjoyable. “The Carrion Shade”: This one starts dark; dark as the woods of hell. Then, the blast of the drums start, and your feet arms and head start moving too. I really loved this track. At times it feels like ones at war, and consequently, it sometimes sounds like you’re dead hearing something from the afterlife. I've gone back to this track several times, and undoubtedly will return many times again.

“Nightmarrow” sounds like black n’ roll, and is catchy as hell. It's obvious that they intended it to be this way to do it so, and even for over 9 minutes, this song has passages that transcends beyond time. It’s like going from the 70’s to current time, and then journeying back in time again. Epic fat sounding drums throughout, and really good basslines and runs. “Black Crystal Snowfall” starts pretty slow, like a dissection, and then the raw black metal comes sweeping in. It's slow, but fantastically aggressive, with tempo changes that give a unique identity to the song. Really full of atmosphere, and catchy atmospheres at that.

I have always been reluctant with black metal form North America, but I have to say this has been a pleasant surprise, and you really must give this one a listen for yourself. In all honesty, hearing something like this in 2019, gives me hope for the future of metal and convinces me that we as listeners are in good hands.

Rating: 9/10

Reviewed by: Jorge Zamudio

Review from Metal Bulletin

Tue, 18 Jun 2019 21:41:14 +0100

From: Metal Bulletin Zine

Published: June 16, 2019

Original Link

Black metal, as interpreted by this New York State band, means an effort to make the recording as real as possible, that sounds like human beings playing music; less software; more playing. This band does well in their use of melody on this, their third album. It is very likable to hear a recording in which the drums sound real, the extra noisiness of real cymbals, and the overall labor that is drumming. The bass guitar is there and if you pay attention you hear the low rumble, that pulse of the rhythm.

One thing that stands out right away is the guitar melodies. There are plenty of moments in which the guitar melodies or guitar harmonies shine brightly. Starting on the first song, the guitar harmonies catch the attention of the listener. The second song shows another cool moment for the guitar to have its place at the front. This time, the melodies build up expectation for quite a while and then they arrive in the form of an uptempo segment that takes the song to the end. The third song also has its clear moment of simple but effective guitar melody, although as a song this one underlines the band’s tendency for longer compositions. The music does require more of an effort in order to stay with it because nine minutes is pretty long for a song no matter how you slice it. There is one more long song. By this time, one is more used to the ambitious songwriting. Mentally, it is easier because one knows that this is how these New Yorkers roll. In the end, the progressive side of the music is manifested and hopefully fans can appreciate the goals of the band to incorporate various elements into the music as a more colorful work.

The vocals are rather traditional, raspy and pretty harsh, so be aware that you have to be a fan of the style, and it is best to find out for yourself than to have some reviewer tell you what it sounds like. This work is for those looking for DIY BM recordings.From: Metal Bulletin Zine

Published: June 16, 2019

Original Link

Review from Metalpit

Mon, 03 Jun 2019 17:36:26 +0100

From: Metalpit

Published: May 26, 2019

Original Link

Il terzo disco dei Mavradoxa, dopo le due discrete produzioni che l’hanno preceduto, ha un obbiettivo chiaro: dare certezze e far capire come il quartetto statunitense abbia le carte in regola per fare strada, continuando al meglio quanto iniziato. Se consideriamo anche l’esperienza che hanno acquisito i membri nell’ultimo decennio (nei cinque anni di attività con questo progetto e anche con altre band), aspettarsi un salto di qualità è più che lecito.

La loro proposta si può classificare nel genere dell’Atmospheric Black Metal, e se nei primi due album era abbastanza classica, legata agli standard dello stile, in questo nuovo lavoro si sente una lieve evoluzione. Fin dalle prime note di “Maple” è tangibile l’importanza data alle melodie, tramite un riffing che riprende elementi non propriamente comuni per il Black. Una peculiarità del disco, facile da notare, è la sua efficacia: quanto composto, pur non contenendo nessuna sorpresa e non avendo particolari pretese, riesce a coinvolgere continuamente, non annoiando per tutta la sua durata. Gli americani si dimostrano consapevoli del loro potenziale e puntano a un risultando semplice e diretto, riuscendo a ottenere quanto desiderato.

“Nightmarrow” contiene una varia combinazione di influenze che fanno da contorno alla produzione, passando dall’Heavy al Prog, e mostrano una formazione rinnovata e intenta a differenziarsi dagli standard, pur rimanendo coi piedi per terra. Difatti, questi spunti si possono notare con moderazione ma in modo abbastanza ripetuto, solitamente uniti alle melodie citate in precedenza.

Nella seconda metà troviamo composizioni che rimandano maggiormente ai primi album rilasciati, prima con l’intermezzo in acustico “Rustling Leaves” e poi con “Black Crystal Snowfall“. Quest’ultimo è un brano dai ritmi lenti e decadenti, un ritorno all’Atmospheric Black Metal incontaminato dopo averci girato attorno in precedenza, che nel contesto riesce nell’intento di non apparire come superfluo.

I Mavradoxa raggiungono il loro terzo album con una prova convincente, un passo in avanti che potrebbe lanciarli verso un futuro sempre migliore. “Nightmarrow” contiene molti spunti interessanti, con l’unione di vari generi in modo consapevole e la composizione di brani semplici ma validi che giovano sicuramente a favore dei Nostri. La strada da fare è ancora lunga e impervia, però la partenza fa ben sperare.

Rating: 7/10

Reviewed by: Jacopo Silverstri

Review from United Rock Nation

Mon, 20 May 2019 21:55:03 +0100

From: United Rock Nations

Published: May 16, 2019

Original Link

Mavradoxa, un nom qui vient du grec et que l'on traduirait par « Darkworship », est un quatuor américain formé en 2015 et qui a sorti son premier album, « Sojourners », dès 2016, rapidement suivi de « Lethean Lament », en 2017. Cette année c'est avec « Nightmarrow » que le groupe nous invite à découvrir son univers et ses propositions musicales.

La première chose qui saute aux yeux, enfin aux oreilles en l'occurrence, sur Maple', c'est la qualité douteuse du mixage, que certains apprécieront peut être, mais qui donne presque l'impression que le groupe manque de professionnalisme. Le premier et le dernier titre d'un album doivent être les plus soignés possibles car ils constituent la première impression et le souvenir que l'opus laissera, alors autant dire que cette écoute ne s'ouvre pas sous les meilleurs auspices. Le problème ne se pose plus sur The Carrion Shade' qui ramène à la vie des sorcières du passé, incarnée par Lux (Monica Finger) qui mêlent sa voix aux screams de Nival (Zachary Smith) sur une chanson atmosphérique mais relativement enlevée. Les guitares proposent de belles coupures entre les passages vocaux. La fin des presque dix minutes de cette composition est instrumentale et offre un bel aperçu de l'univers de Mavradoxa. Plus lancinant, le morceau éponyme propulse cet album dans une dimension toute autre et qui révèle des richesses insoupçonnées auxquelles une impression uniquement fondée sur Maple' ne rendrait pas justice.

Au milieu de ces longs morceaux, les musiciens de Mavradoxa ont eu la bonne idée de déposer Rustling Leaves', un interlude instrumental de moins de deux minutes qui se démarque par sa douceur et invite à la rêverie et permet aux guitares de Nival et Tyler Stasierowski de se distinguer dans un registre différent. Dans la même veine, nous découvrons ensuite Black Crystal Snowfall', un titre aussi poétique dans sa forme que dans son nom. Alors qu'on avait tendance à entrer rapidement dans le vif du sujet jusqu'ici, le groupe veut davantage prendre son temps et laisser une certaine atmosphère s'installer d'elle-même. La basse de Josh Mason alimente la ligne rythmique sur laquelle se fonde la chanson, laissant malgré tout le premier plan au frontman, autant par ses screams que grâce à sa guitare. La conclusion s'intitule Umbra' et le moins qu'on puisse dire c'est qu'elle est l'opposée exacte de Maple' tant sa beauté et la soin que le groupe lui a apporté lui permette de s'élever.

« Nightmarrow » est un album dont on ne peut que regretter le manque de soin de Maple' qui peut avoir tendance à placer l'auditeur dans un état d'esprit défavorable avant même d'être entré dans le coeur du sujet. Néanmoins, les amateurs du genre laisseront sans doute sa chance à cette création qui, lorsqu'on se laisse porter, trouve parfaitement sa place parmi les belles sorties de Black atmosphérique de cette première moitié d'année.

Rating: 3.5/5

Review from Nine Circles

Thu, 02 May 2019 19:07:34 +0100

From: Nine Circles

Published: May 1, 2019

Original Link

No one on Earth has ever said, “You know what we need more of? Melodic, atmospheric black metal.” And yet, here we are with Mavradoxa, nailing that melodic mid-paced black metal to the bone on third album Nightmarrow and you know what? I dig it. I dig it quite a bit. More than just another band hitting the same notes as everyone else, there’s a strong melodic bent and a tendency to shy away from more overt black metal moments to craft something that feels melancholic and personal, with a strong sense of place owing to their upstate New York region. I can do with more music like this.

The band is relatively new, seeing as they put out their debut, Sojourners, in 2016. With “Tempest of Dreams” it’s immediately apparent where the band sits: firmly in the camp of studious, folk inspired bands like Falls of Rauros, Wolves in the Throne Room, and Agalloch. But Sojourners and its follow-up, 2017’s Lethean Lament work a more somber, doom-inflected mood in its structure that works really well. There’s a progressive tendency and some really nice mixing work going on in epic tracks like “Crimson Waves of Autumnal Flame” and “Across the Nival Grove” which are essential to making the tracks work.

Also essential is the interplay between musicians, and the duo of Lux (vocals, drums) and Nival (guitars, bass) create a full broad sound that belies the fact that it’s only two people creating it. Fleshing out the band to a four-piece, Nightmarrow has a more grandiose, bombastic sound, hitting its drama square while maintaining the crux of what you want out of your melodic black metal.

“Maple” is a call to arms for Nightmarrow. Chunky chords spill out as a march brings everything forward. The triplet feel gives the song a nice push, and really serves to highlight one of the strongest things on the album: Lux’s drumming. It would have been easy to just plug ahead with blast beats and heavy handed rock beats, but the songs on Nightmarrow all demonstrate a mindfulness as to how percussion should work within the framework of a song. Does that mean no blasting? Of course not; but every hit and crash has a methodical approach that – far from feeling premeditated – feels truly organic an “in” the song, if that makes sense.

The rest of the album fares just as well, with standouts being the rawer, more in your face “The Carrion Shade” and the epic folk metal of “Black Crystal Snowfall.” In the case of the latter it’s a great melding of majestic riffing and keeping the aggression in check. Surrounded as the song is by the briefer interludes “Rustling Leaves” and closer “Umbra” the second half of Nightmarrow feels like an extended suite, one that rises and falls like the seasons, and taken as a whole is the best thing the band has done to date.

It may seem at odds for such an Autumnal album to come just as Spring approaches to renew life, but Mavradoxa’s trick with Nightmarrow is that the album works no matter what time of year it is. This is the kind of melodic black metal I come for, and this one will keep me interested for a while to come.

Reviewed by: Chris

Review from The Metal Observer

Thu, 02 May 2019 19:06:32 +0100

From: The Metal Observer

Published: May 1, 2019

Original Link

Hailing from upstate New York, Mavradoxa renders mental images of North American woodlands in the autumn and early winter with a tapestry of black metal, hints of prog, and more than a taste of the slow, doomy post-metal that made Agalloch famous. As the band’s third album, Nightmarrow, drifts back and forth between serene acoustic bits, streams of meditative black metal and occasional progressive flourishes, a massive vignette of naturalistic grandeur unfolds. As a slab of evocative atmosphere, it might not be quite as effective as Saor’s or Wayfarer’s most recent releases. However, Nightmarrow is still a satisfying listen in its own right.

A lot of albums like this start with ambiance rendered with an acoustic guitar, some folk instrument or a synth. Not this one. “Maple,” the album opener, gets right down to business with a brisk marching riff that sounds like it got cut from Mastodon’s “Once More ‘Round the Sun.” From there, “Maple” continues with a series of introspective riffs and some enthralling melodic tremolos and leads that carry you over the finish line. The song’s progression gives one a good sense of how the rest of this album will go. Throughout its roughly 43 minutes, Nightmarrow maintains a thoughtful, restrained character amid the riffs as they steadily evolve. “Black Crystal Snowfall” follows a path that’s similarly satisfying for the most part, starting with a darkly jangling acoustic bit that gives way to driving streams of power chords that are no less melancholy before finally culminating in a tense flurry of hammer-ons and pull-offs, though there is a bit of a lull in the middle of the track.

The album has a mood that evokes an ancient forest near the Canadian border and manages to do so without resorting to moments of pure acoustic or synth-driven atmosphere all that much. Aside from the two shortest tracks, “Rustling Leaves” and “Umbra,” both of which are calm acoustic pieces, there’s very little ambiance on the album that isn’t augmented by metal drumming or some sort of riffwork. Mavradoxa instead seeks to craft its riffs and leads delicately to give the music a naturalistic feel the former members of Agalloch would nod at approvingly. Subtle note progressions with a bit of a shoegaze flavor lurking in the background, particularly in “The Carrion Shade,” appear sporadically as well to spread out the melancholy goodness.

In creating this music, Mavradoxa’s members walk a fine line between careful restraint and energetic bombast. Even if this album progresses at a slow and deliberate pace needed to provide its introspective flavor, the band members ensure the album still has some fight in it. On the kit, Lux has an unusually kinetic performance on “Maple,” with busy, Brann Dailor-esque fills and flourishes that somehow don’t distract from the mood popping up occasionally. For the rest of the album though, he mainly sticks to relatively slow drumming patterns, his instrument just high enough in the mix for the cymbals to provide some sharpness that keeps the music from losing your attention. Guitarists Nival and Tyler Stasierowski are crucial as well, with their riffs, leads and thoughtful textures layered over each other, giving rise to the grandiose, wistful flavor this album depends on. Completing the picture, you have the vocals, which bring more than a hint of darkness to the picture, like the ghosts of murdered travelers that still haunt the woods. Nival and a few session vocalists yowl periodically throughout the album’s four lengthier tracks, their shrieks sounding distant and tortured and providing the album’s naturalistic flavor with a sinister undercurrent.

Anyone who was turned off by Mavradoxa’s ponderous, overlong sophomore album, Lethean Lament should not give up on these guys just yet. Since that record’s release, the band has refined its approach and their effort has paid off. Nightmarrow is far more concise while still providing its compositions enough room to flourish. Not entirely free from bloat, the album proceeds mostly at a satisfying click, making good use of hypnotic repetition when the time is right and delivering an atmospheric experience short on soft, sparse ambiance and long on solid riffs and songwriting.

Rating: 8/10

Reviewed by: Jackson French