From their EPK, “Formed in 2014 on the east coast of Canada, NIHILO MACHINA was created as a solo project of James McClafferty. At its core, it’s melodic black metal that’s been described as having an obvious thrash influence. They released their first record “The Last Messiah” in 2015, then the project lay silent until 2024. This dormancy was spent with James writing and producing “The Black River.” Lyrically their music covers themes of human language, existence, our place in universe and how we perceive it.”

The opening tones of the title track are somber, and when the big sound comes in, it sounds like a bomb going off. The vocals are horrid, the music is sobering and aggressive, and the guitar riffs are thick and evil. “Aberration” has some symphonic elements built into the landscape of the Black and Death Metal amalgamation, and there are even some softer spots of melody. The vocals are also thickened with some backing tracks. “Empire of Reverie” has a weighted, bossy riff that moves with a groove. The lead guitar breaks are nice as well. “Singularity” shifts to some melody in the beginning, but not at the expense of its contentious backbone. It’s nice to hear some changes of pace so far on the album.

“The Black River: Part II” is the longest on the album, and it has plenty of time to develop, and it quickly develops into a hairy beast with long fangs and razor sharp claws. It stalks its prey silently, but always finishes the kill. “Artifice” is a shorter song that smartly brings some melody back to the table. But again, that heavy backbone protrudes through the melody like broken bone in a compact fracture. “Entropic Journey” is slow moving, with ominous tones, and it sounds to me like a trip to the far recesses of the universe. The vocals are commanding and powerful, and its further evidence of the confidence that James has in his music.

The instrumental titled “Sons Noir” closes the album, and it’s a great closing piece, with symphony, a sturdy riff, plenty of tension, and the feeling that something ominous looms on the horizon. Overall, this was a fantastic album, that combined many of the traditional elements of Black Metal with just enough melody and symphony to keep it interesting, Considering this was all done by one person, this is an amazing testament to his vision.