WITCHCRAFT showed us the way, GRAVEYARD spoke loud 'the truth' and BURNING SAVIOURS kept that Swedish flag high showing the doom path from any place of the world; now it's time for NOCTUM to continue the traditional Swedish doom myth that wants all the bands from that holy landscape to turn ashes into gold, especially on the classic doom/ heavy blues-based rock sound. Do they succeed it? Well, as a matter of fact I think they do, especially if we have on mind that "The Séance" (what a great, spooky album title!) is their debut effort and just opened our appetite for more.

You maybe are getting bored with all those brand new bands that pop up like mushrooms after the rain, but I have to tell you that NOCTUM do not come under the hammer of BLACK SABBATH school just like that with nothing more to discover further; these guys focus on the songwriting without 'copy/ paste' various riffs from here and there. You just have to listen to the self-titled opening track and feel the occultism and the dark powers that are hiding behind the heavy guitar riffage. That's what I call success for a band of this kind of music style and the continuation has been presaged more than good. "Fortune Teller" and "Mistress" bring us to the Swedish doom/ retro movement's musical purity, having always WITCHCRAFT in the back of our mind with that excellent reading of David Indelöf. Also, you'll notice that he's better than this on the only containing song of his native language ("Den Onda Trollpackan"), that's, as far as I am concerned, the best song of the album.

On the other hand, we have to deal with "Insomnia" and "Children Of Darkness" that keep the secret recipe of the doom Metal's birth, back in the beginning of 70s, when the 'riff Master' with that long-hair kid from Birmingham with the flare trousers gave us songs like "The Wizard" and "N.I.B.". I don't have to blame NOCTUM because of that, following the patriarchal steps of the past, either they come from Sweden and being compatriots with Magnus Pelander (in this point, I have to admit that I found plenty similarities comparing David's vocals with Magnus' ones). Each note hides something unique and solid and you're gonna be able to discover it, unless you leave yourselves free, floating inside their mysterious and groovy music.

High Roller Records made the beginning (and a favor to the doom Metal fans) and introduce NOCTUM to all of you via the excellent "The Séance" LP, limited to 500 copies (100 x purple/ black splatter, 200 x purple and 200 x black vinyl) and give you the opportunity to enrich your 'BLOOD CEREMONY/ HORISONT/ THE DEVILS BLOOD' collection for good; all you have to do is grab one (if you make it because of the limited number) and thank me forever. Or, till the next NOCTUM album...