NOCTEM is a Blackened Death Metal band with a long trajectory of more than 15 years. The band has released two demos, one live LP and four full-length albums, released with Prosthetic Records, Art Gates Records, NHR and Metal Blade Records. After a 15 years career, NOCTEM is one of the most active bands from Spain. Extreme music, aggressive shows, blood and fire is the mark of this band. "The Black Consecration" is their latest offering, and contains eight new tracks.

The title track opens the album, and it's a monster, at just under nine minutes in length. It has a fairly standard Black Metal sound but with some variation here and there. The vocals, for example, go from blood-curdling screams to spoken, hushed tones. The drums keep a pretty standard gallop however, letting up just a little every now and again. "Sulphur" opens with a chaotic entry, before settling into a heavy and aggressive groove. Voor really puts his all into the drumming sequence. There is a little dissonant interlude around the half-way markm and then the chaos ensues. "Uprising of the Impentinents" has a similar sound of chaos followed by a steady cadence where, again, Voor really hits the drum kit with passion. There is a darkness to this song, permeating the light with an eternal grey.

"Coven" has a steady evilness throughout the song, but it's not very different from the other tracks in terms of straying from that comfortable path. "All that now belongs to the Earth" has a traditional Black Metal sound but those vocals are meaty and harrowing, especially when they go ultra-low in some moments. "Let that is Dead Sleep Forever" gives us out first real chance at diversity, opening with a discernable guitar riff, but the chaos returns fairly quickly. The intensity of the song is very real...there is something genuine about it. "Court of the Dying Flesh" features some of the same intensity as other tracks on the album, following a bit of an ambient opening, when he utters the title. It's road straight to hell from the opening through the end.

"Dichotomy of Malignancy" closes the album, with a similar sound and pacing. Too many tracks sound the same on the album. A little variation can go a long way. Now I know that many Black Metal purists would disagree with me on that statement, but I believe there is room for a leopard to change its spots. The genre has greatly diversified in the last decade and there's room for everyone on the train.