For as long as I could remember, black metal has been a true time machine in certain areas with a particular focus on fantasy and medieval elements playing huge roles for many, many bands throughout the style. It has long been a true standard of what many would consider top-tier for the sound even though it can be quite difficult to deliver a performance to life since it can require a good deal of imagination even if it goes hand-in-hand with adhering tightly to the traditions of black metal itself. In the hands of the capable, however, it can effortlessly be molded into an undeniable experience that is not to be ignored nor denied. Nebran was more than up for the task when they sat down to pen their first full-length album, and that much can be made clear in so much as the first two tracks.

Teleportation of the listener is a mighty and key factor when it comes to creations such as this with it being all but paramount that the material plants the listener firmly in the world that the band wants to create and deliver with its music, for that is how you get maximum impact while still delivering a performance that they can be proud of. Without exception, it’s with all that they brought forward with “…Of Long Forgotten Times” that Nebran managed to achieve such a feat with black metal that may not be what many would suspect to see out of this kind of effort. Nebran approached this creation with a much slower, well-paced take on black metal that really allows itself to become absorbed by the listener as these nine tracks paint an utterly gorgeous picture of the world from a millennia ago where it was steel that ruled the world with the very nature of the realm overflowing in all directions. The very whole of “…Of Long Forgotten Times” feels like a lamentation for such a world as you can feel the pain and reverence in equal parts for that very world as Nebran seeks to craft an impeccable experience that really embodies all that black metal of this variety can be from its atmospheric bouts into the world of ambiance while it’s the electrifying yet thoughtfully paced black metal that’s interwoven wonderfully with medieval themes and backdrops. When all brought together, they effortlessly enable “…Of Long Forgotten Times” to become a record that many are constantly salivating for in all of its glory.

It is one thing to bring any blend of flavors and images to the table that manages to bring some semblance of intrigue to a work of black metal of this particular vein, but Nebran has certifiably crafted something here that deserves to be considered one of the more fascinating creations of its kind in recent years with any given track of the album more than enough proof that one could need. In every way does it deliver with a well-calculated punch to the gullet that knows precisely when to pull back for maximum effect, “…Of Long Forgotten Times” is not destined to become forgotten any time soon.

LISTEN to “…Of Long Forgotten Times” on Bandcamp here.

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