People always told me" be careful what you do", sorry wrong music type. People always told me that Black Metal should sound like a graveyard in the stroke of midnight. Where the devil is playing cards with the corpses inhabiting the place... That may be the case of Finnish and Norwegian traditional Black Metal, it's not the case of Chicago's NACHTMYSTIUM. In their case we are talking about the devil playing cards in a Metal factory with lots of machinery around alongside the band itself, it's as unique as NACHTMYSTIUM's sound and album.

Black Metal always reminded me of wars and scenes from the history channel showing all the fighting and the dead, but hey that is just me. Chicago's NACHTMYSTIUM album "Silencing Machine" it's not a traditional Black Metal album although I read in an interview with Front man Blake Judd that stated that "Silencing Machine" is "a fucking Black Metal record".

It seems that "Silencing Machine" has more of an AmericanThrash influence with traditional Black Metal and even a pinch of Acid / Techno sounds and tempo. Don't think that it's a Metal Techno album no; this is a fucking Black Metal Album just not in the traditional sense.

Opener "Dawn Over the Ruins of Jerusalem" starts hard and fast with a nice tempo, lots of riffs and screams from the depths of the abyss. From the first track we can hear (see if you like) that the song goes into a nice rhythm and order although all songs start a little chaotic, "Silencing Machine" the second track was my favorite. Pure, no shit, no crap, with a pinch of electro bits of Black Metal, great tempo and vocals. That's the way Black Metal should sound. I still find "Silencing Machine" chorus has been echoing in my thoughts sometimes.

"The Lepers of Destitution",the album's eight-minute centerpiece should be heard again and again in order to get the atmospherics surrounding. This depressing song and the lyrics, ohh the lyrics, how depressed can you be repeating "Trapped inside myself with nowhere to hide"? , this song is not for the depressed and lonely. Beware.

It is hard to categorize "I Wait In Hell" as a Black Metal song or any other kind of Metal and that's what gives this song its great flavour. Yes again lots of riffs and screams from the depths of the abyss with an amazing tempo, you can almost dance with this song and yes it's a good thing. Honorable mention goes to "Give Me the Grave" that opens with a nice dark ambient guitar strum, again the song isn't Blackish however does have nice tempo and agonizing vocals.

"Silencing Machine" is an album that can appeal not only to Black Metal fans, is that a good thing? That's for you to decide, either way I would not walk through a black alley in the middle of the night listening to this album on my mp3 player, you can find yourself head to head with the devil and that's not a good idea. Is it?