There are few bands who can unleash the same level of spine-crushing brutality as Spanish Extreme Metallers NOCTEM. Ever since having discovered them two years ago when I happened to review predecessor album "Exilium", I have been hooked by their ravenous riffs and misanthropic melodies. With this in mind, NOCTEM's fourth full-length album "Haeresis" has been one of my most looked forward to releases of 2016. And NOCTEM certainly does not disappoint.

Without the elaborate intro found in  "Exilium", on "Haeresis" NOCTEM launches straight into a tumultuous whirlwind of a song: "Through the Black Temples of Disaster" has everything from tempestuous guitar riffs, chilling vocals, through to enough blast-beats to launch a small rocket into orbit. Flawlessly weaving in drudging sections that drag you into a morass of despair into a tapestry of frantic maelstrom-like parts, the tempo changes are breathtakingly executed. "Auto-da-fé" carries on from here, melding melancholic melodies with moments of maniacal madness. "The Submission Discipline" on the other hand has a darker feel to it, absolutely oozing an occult-tinged onslaught of Death Metal interspersed with acoustic guitar parts that build up the sinister atmosphere. "Blind Devotion" takes the pace down, providing a counter to the relentlessness of the songs that came before, and showing that even at a slower tempo, NOCTEM's music can be just as devastatingly powerful. Following on from the searing guitar solos of "Blind Devotion", "The Dark One" hits you like a punch to the face with its furious drumming and punishing pace. It honestly would be more fitting if drummer Voor changed his name to Blast Beast with all the work he does on this album. The heavy reliance on the drums to lead the assault gives the album a ballistic feeling, which really brings the brutality to the fore. At the apex of the album we have the stormy "Haeresis", where a poignant start carries on its wings the soundtrack to the apocalypse. However, NOCTEM really step up the suspense-building atmosphere on "Whispers of the Ancient Gods", one of the most outstanding songs on this album. Perhaps not as brutal as some of the other songs, this is nevertheless haunting epic piece of art that really sees NOCTEM in peak shape. This undertow of despair is carried over to "Conjuring Degradation and Morbidity" albeit complemented by ponderous percussive parts and magniloquent guitar leads. Penultimate song "The Paths of the Lustful Abandon" smoothly follows on, using choirs and repetitive riffs to build up towards the monstrous finale. Just in case there is a shred of resistance left in you this late in the album, NOCTEM have saved one of their most savage creations for last. "Pactum with the Indomitable Darkness" stealthily creeps in with an eerie melody that had immediately gave me goosebumps. Here Beleth's vocals come to the fore, with shattering screams that any demon-spawn would be proud of, with Varu's chunky bass-lines driving the militant charge ruthlessly forward, utterly decimating all in their path.

Through "Haeresis", NOCTEM manage to push the bounds of extremity as they blend together a whole range of genres and sounds. Whilst this in itself is perhaps nothing new, many bands who attempt this end up merely sounding incoherent and chaotic. But NOCTEM absolutely nail this, resulting in an album that is fascinatingly diverse and seamless, all without compromising an ounce of its brutality. Added to this is an excellent production that leaves each note crisp and sharp: everything about this album has been cranked up to 11, unleashing a vicious and unrelenting opus that is larger than life.

When all is said and done, "Haeresis" is the very first album this year that has managed to get a full 10/10 score from me, and is definitely a strong contender for "Best release of 2016". Whatever you do, do yourself the favour of checking out this unsubduable band.