Darkestrah are back. It's been eight years since we've had a full length from the long running folk metal project. While 2021's Chong Aryk EP was a reasonable holdover, there's something to be said for the proper Darkestrah full album experience. This newest offering, Nomad is epic in scal and transcendent, full of the ancient Central Asian melodies and instrumentations that helped to make the genre so engaging for so many in the first place. Darkestrah are perhaps the most immaculate synthesis of traditional Central Asian music with metal and Nomad sees them reach a whole new level.
Nomad excels because of the poetry of the songwriting. Darkestrah are clearly next level performers and tracks like "Quest For The Soul" are larger than life compositions that will have listeners reaching for the stars. The lyrics draw from ancient Kyrgyz epic poetry, and while most of us aren't going to understand them, they provide a sense of something greater. Usually when metal tries to be spiritual or pagan it feels... overwrought and trite. Darkestrah make it clear they are the real deal, and while it may be challenging listening, it's also incredibly rewarding, the sort of thing that leaves listeners in awe and excited for what's more to come.
There is something wonderfully entrancing about Nomad. It's a record that has an elegance that is wholly its own and which seems to continually drive towards bold new heights. Darkestrah understand exactly what makes them special and the years of work went into this record are clearly displayed across the 45 minute run time of this record. This is compelling stuff and an album that is sure to decorate many a year end list. Pre-order a copy before this drops in March because very few other black metal albums this year are going to execute on this level.
Pre-order the album!
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