From Bandcamp, “NYRAK is a Progressive Black Metal band from Belgium, founded in 2021 by Nevel as an alternative creative outlet for his legendary black metal band GOTMOOR and was joined by Nihil shortly thereafter. NYRAK may have some frills, still the band values music over image.” The album has seven songs, and “The Eye of Time” is first. The opening piano notes are quite nice, but a nuclear bomb is soon ignited, and the sound expands to rousing symphonies, lightning speed blast beat drumming, and horrid vocals. The main riff soon hardens, and it toggles from that point between a contentious riff and backing symphonies.

The title track retains that contentious edge and thick overgrown sound, with a hasty, speedy riff and drums that are moving faster than the ear can comprehend. The symphonic elements are quite grandiose as well. “Candlelight” gives the listener just enough time for a brief pause before the madness begins. It has a slowed down and clearer sound, still with a lot of symphony. The breaths that you are able to take allows the song to expand in your mind, and you can hear every little nuance. “Lament” is very much as it sounds…a tragic story of unknown origin that just makes the subject lash out to anyone who will listen. Thick bass notes chug along and with each strike, the nail goes deeper in your coffin.

“Oceans of Lies” has a combination of a deeply aggressive sound with some melodies that flow in and out, and some of them are quite somber. The way they interact with the thickened slab of Black Metal just makes sense. “Meaningless” has that dissonant sound you might expect from the title. The course of the song eventually gets back on track as the despair turns to anger however. The subject crawls out of his funk, straightens himself up, and lets his anger guide him forward. “The Abstract Shape of Life” closes the album, and it’s a magnanimous way to exit. The repeated bars towards the end show a subject who is clear headed, and ready to decide his fate.

What strikes me most about the album is the sheer amount of sounds they are able to pack into each composition. What is sprung when the dam breaks is pure anger, hate, and blackness. Each note is cleverly placed however, and the interplay between Black Metal aggression and melodic, symphonic elements is noteworthy.