Eye of the Golem’s latest album, Nigredo, hits hard in all the right places, delivering a deeply atmospheric and weighty post-metal experience. It’s a slow burn, but that’s what makes it work so well. The band has taken their heavy, sludgy riffs and combined them with more experimental touches – industrial, psychedelic, and some seriously thick atmospheres – to craft an album that draws you in and refuses to let go.
The first thing that grabs you about Nigredo is the way it balances between crushing heaviness and eerie spaciousness. The guitars, handled by Ale and Marc, pack a serious punch when they drop those distorted riffs, but they also know when to pull back and let the sound breathe. You get these long, meditative stretches of clean tones and open space that let the tension build, and then, out of nowhere, the heaviness slams down again.
Andrea’s bass fits perfectly with that vibe – fuzzy, dirty, and rumbling low-end that really drives home the weight of the album. And Hari’s drumming, while not flashy, is tight and precise, laying down rhythms that feel almost tribal in their repetition. It keeps things grounded when the music is at its most expansive. It’s not just loud for the sake of loudness either; there’s a deliberate pacing that lets every part of the sound evolve naturally.
What I really appreciate about Nigredo is that it never feels like it’s rushing. The album takes its time to let the mood sink in. One moment you’re enveloped in swirling, psychedelic layers, and the next, the band hits you with these colossal riffs that are as slow as they are brutal. The result is an album that feels cohesive but far from predictable. There’s a nice push-and-pull between the aggressive and the ambient.
While Nigredo excels at creating a mood and sticking with it, it can, at times, fall into familiar territory for the genre. If you’ve been a fan of bands like Neurosis, Amenra, or even Russian Circles, you’ll recognize a lot of the moves here. That’s not to say the album feels stale – far from it – but you might find yourself waiting for something a bit more unexpected to hit.
That being said, there are moments where Eye of the Golem’s personality really shines through, especially in how they mix in industrial and psychedelic elements. These subtleties don’t dominate the sound but add depth and intrigue to the core of what’s really a post-metal/sludge album at heart.
The production on Nigredo is another big plus. There’s a clarity to the mix that allows each instrument to shine without sacrificing the album’s overall heaviness. The guitars don’t get too muddy, even when drenched in distortion, and the quieter, more ambient moments have this ghostly quality that lingers long after the music fades. It’s well-produced, but not too polished, retaining that raw edge that keeps the music feeling visceral.
Nigredo is an album that’s built on tension and release, where each riff, each quiet moment, feels earned. Eye of the Golem has taken a well-trodden path in post-metal and added just enough of their own twist to make it feel fresh. It’s heavy, but not overwhelming, atmospheric but not meandering. If you’re into music that’s as much about creating a mood as it is about delivering crushing riffs, you’ll find a lot to love here.
While it might not rewrite the rules of the genre, Nigredo is still a compelling, immersive experience that shows a band confidently carving out their place in the post-metal scene. For those looking to dive deep into something dark, heavy, and introspective, this album delivers.
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Released by Octopus Rising on October 4th, 2024
Music source for review – Grand Sounds PR
