Few bands today embrace their own individualism to ultimately craft something truly unique and genre defying regardless of its sales potential. Enter the Chicago-based NACHTMYSTIUM who embrace the true spirit of individuality and intolerance forming solely as an outlet to express the dark musical visions and summonings of those involved.
Originally formed in 1999 by Judd, NACHTMYSTIUM started off as a raw, primitive black metal band with a very derivative Norsk black metal influence. They released a number of records on underground labels such as Regimental Records and Autopsy Kitchen Records, etc. before delivering Eulogy IV in 2004, ushering in a new musical direction and 'psychedelic'-era.
In 2006, the group released Instinct: Decay, which drew massive amounts of press compared to previous efforts, landing in numerous top-ten lists in such major publications as Metal Maniacs, Unrestrained, etc. The album also scored the #4 slot on Decibel Magazine’s “album-of-the-year” poll.
In 2008, they released the first of their Black Meddle series. Assassins: Black Meddle PT I was named metal album of the year by everyone from the New York Times to Pitchfork to Metal Sucks. 2010 saw Addicts: Black Metal PT II released, which received very similar results as its predecessor. The whole idea of the Black Meddle series was to experiment and push the boundaries of what black metal is.
Early 2012 will see the band enter the studio to begin work on a new album. The band has stated the record will return a bit to their primitive sound but even so, Nachtmystium will continue to exist in a genre all of its own and deliver an album that continues to push the boundaries of conventionality to new levels.