NOCTURNAL GRAVES “An Outlaw’s Stand”

By Dr. Abner Mality

This is some lean, mean metal from the sun-baked Australian Outback. The only frills to be found are in the first minute of “Death To Pigs”, which brings us squealing porkers and ominous synth. Once the rusted buzzsaw riffs kick in, there’s not a backwards glance for the rest of the album.

I get the feeling Wez from “The Road Warrior” could use NOCTURNAL GRAVES as his personal soundtrack while he pillages. Is the music death metal? Thrash metal? Blackened death? Deathened black? I don’t think these guys waste time pondering it, they just dig in and go for broke. Generally, the music has the influence of POSSESSED, South American stuff like KRISIUN and Aussie forefathers like BESTIAL WARLUST and DESTROYER 666. Production is pretty dry, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and the songs are blazing fast but full of discrete, distinct riffs. I mark “Command For Conflict”, “Ruthless Fight” and especially “Beyond the Flesh” as the best arrows in the NOCTURNAL GRAVES quiver, but honestly, the songs are all pretty uniform in their outlook.

There’s something to be said for ruthless, no frill efficiency in metal and these guys live by the credo “get in, fuck things up, and get the hell out of Dodge”.

SEASON OF MIST

NOCTURNAL GRAVES