Nox Novacula
Feed the Fire
Artoffact Records
Seattle’s Nox Novacula have a good track record when it comes to avoiding the pitfalls inherent in making modern deathrock. Working in a genre that relies heavily on a very specific set of sounds that have been codified for decades, the quartet have threaded the needle when it comes to pushing themselves and the scope of their songs, while keeping things spooky and punky in equal measures. Their latest LP Feed the Fire is their most impressive in this regard, injecting a significant amount of pulsing electronic backbeat to the proceedings, upping the complexity of their arrangements, while keeping the riffs razor sharp and their energy lively and unpredictable.
Album opener “Plague” is a mission statement in that regard, establishing some of the record’s biggest stylistic moves through its tightly wound attack. The ominous synth intro quickly gives way to a speedy assembly of drums, bass and spidery riffs, with vocalist Charlotte Blythe blazing through an apocalyptic set of lyrics that address political unrest and upheaval. The bracing nature of the track belies some of the smart arrangement choices that band makes, delaying the first chorus to give it some extra oomph by way of anticipation, and then letting the second act as an outro with a pointed finality. Nox Novacula have gotten really good at making songs that have so much head-nodding, fist pumping anthemic energy to them that you don’t even notice their clever choices; see how they reinvent the defiant chorus of “Wolves” via its big drum rolls, or how the guitar hook from “No Forgiveness” holds back ever so slightly, letting Blythe kick open the door before barging through it.
Which is not to say there aren’t songs where the band’s grander ambitions are easily apparent. The darkwavey “Stay” is easily one of the best songs the band have ever written: its synth bassline and simple arrangement of guitar and vocals ends up being striking because of its minimalism, the absence of sturm and drang becoming its own kind of echoing statement. Similarly, the band dip into some classic electropop in the synthline for “Flood”, an unlikely combination with its wiry bass and pogo-ready chorus. There’s certainly no absence of straight up classic deathrock (“Disappear” is a particularly good example), but the record benefits from smart sequencing, lacing some of its freshest ideas in between its more trad-oriented numbers.
Walking the tightrope between genre purism and innovation is no easy feat, but Feed the Fire does so with a rare confidence. It’s certainly Nox Novacula’s best statement to date, and one whose charms should be apparent to audiences from within and without the fishnet and spider-webs crowd thanks to its expert execution and fierce energy. Recommended.
