apanthropy

Noctivagum
De Arcanis et Ritibus Sulphuris
independent release
Released: January 14th, 2026

Rating: 8.5/10

“When viewed through the lens of an ‘experience,’ not so much as a musical album, there is a ritualistic characteristic that is interwoven through every second of every song. It is a sonic dark ritual spread across seven passages. It enters and exits in a manner symbolic to ceremonial practices, and as it unfolds, it does so with intensity that feels genuine, but in a manner that signals experienced musicians crafting the compositions. It is not a blind rage that propels ‘De Arcanis et Ritibus Sulphuris’, but rather a sense of total control and restraint, deliberateness in its movements, down to each measure.”

–
1 – Initium Caerimoniae
2 – Ignis
3 – Arcana Noctis
4 – Ex Inferis
5 – Carpe Noctem
6 – Occulta Suprema Ars
7 – Finis Caerimoniae
–

Noctivagum is a new formation in European underground. A new voice, disembodied, uttering in occult glossolalia. Merging raw black metal with flourishes into clean and acoustic phrases, revolving largely around a melodic central core, borrowing from the ancient tones of the early waves of the genre and applying them in rigid and intense execution that signals the modern era, like manifesting spirits, there is both a sense of the past and uncomfortable sense of the present. This is less of a piece of entertainment and more of a ceremony in sonic waves. De Arcanis et Ritibus Sulphuris possesses a purity of idea that is reserved for new bands or multi-instrumentalists, where the best of the collective creativity is sent forward facing.

But how can Noctivagum stand out from the hordes dwelling in the deep European underground? When viewed through the lens of an ‘experience,’ not so much as a musical album, there is a ritualistic characteristic that is interwoven through every second of every song. It is a sonic dark ritual spread across seven passages. It enters and exits in a manner symbolic to ceremonial practices, and as it unfolds, it does so with intensity that feels genuine, but in a manner that signals experienced musicians crafting the compositions. It is not a blind rage that propels De Arcanis et Ritibus Sulphuris, but rather a sense of total control and restraint, deliberateness in its movements, down to each measure. While raw in both production and riff craft, it doesn’t possess the minimalism one would expect from the sub-genre, playing back with a full and dense presence despite the dry signals. The core songs are unique in composition, meter, and flow, both when compared to one another and collectively compared to the genre as a whole. For a new band, on their debut release, there is substance and methodology at work that is normally reserved for more experienced groups, marking, again, some degree of musical understanding that is past the point of being intermediate.

Opening with ‘Initium Caerimoniae,’ two details become immediate. One is the bell that chimes at the :08 mark, a simple detail that most would overlook, but it represents exiting the mundane and entering the ritual proper. The other is the intricate and precise acoustic phrasing that draws the listener in. This is not simple open chord strumming or crystalline arpeggios, but crafty progressions with strong accompaniment from well-thought melodies. The guitars are credited to Lightning, and this introductory passage is indicative of the creativity and construction that lay ahead; however, it is soon presented in perverse contrast.

‘Ignis’ is where De Arcanis et Ritibus Sulphuris begins to take form and the departure from the clean and ambient acoustic intro is soon overtaken by sheer, raw tonality and harrowing melodic black metal actualization. Boisterous rhythm guitar passages mix with spindly melodies, evolving into melodic single-note tremolo movements, and moving back and forth between the two. Percussion comes in blasts, ripping double-bass, entering and exiting various stages of masterful restraint and barbaric driving rhythms. The vocals range from spoken word, to spell-invoking chants, to dry, shrill delivery somewhere in the realm of early Gorgoroth. There is no deliberate minimalism to invoke a cold, lifeless sensation but rather a vibrant, full sound that comes off surprisingly animated for such a sonically raw palette. The relationship of the guitar tracks to one another creates an interesting sonic dynamic, centrally focused on melody but freely coupling and uncoupling from one another throughout the track, creating, at times, double melodies that don’t quite sync up correctly, but create a strange, almost depressing, dissonance that is trance-like.

Tracks such as ‘Ex Inferis’ possess depth and detail that can make a four-minute track feel twice as long in the best possible way. Trade-off vocals range from otherworldly gutturals to shrill rasps, with cleaner spoken segments intermittent and choir chants to close the track. A simple progression on the guitars early on, coupled with somber single notes, creates a flow that feels epic and sweeping when paired with the mayhemic vocals, tonally comparable to Moonblood in its dark sense of triumphant atmosphere.

‘Occulta Suprema Ars’ is a testament to the band’s ability to deliver occult-tinged compositions that express the capability of transferring from cleaner, slower approaches and bridges to rushing, soaring distorted passages accompanied by storming percussion. This goes beyond a simple image, frame of reference, or passing segments of tones, and becomes something serious, ethereal, and otherworldly. With such a new existence, Noctivagum is tasked with speaking to the listener exclusively through their musical presentations, as there is no depth to anything else in their career to lean into, such as established image or a history of releases to lean back into. The way Noctivagum allows their songs to form, flow, and terminate is something creatively worthy and compositionally engaging, the first words spoken from a new band, that shall ring loudly and shall echo for many years, even after future releases.

Closing the EP is ‘Finis Caerimoniae,’ the sonic partner of the opener, representing the close of the ritual. Much like the introduction, there are unabashed acoustic lines that ring in both chord and arpeggio, accompanied with accenting accordion to emphasize the strong melodic notation.

With four seconds left on the EP, the bell that chimed at the very beginning of De Arcanis et Ritibus Sulphuris rings once again, indicating that the ceremony has ended.

Judging, or at least attempting to judge, the EP as a ‘set of tracks’ isn’t difficult, but that’s not how De Arcanis et Ritibus Sulphuris was meant to be portrayed. Judging it as a whole, as an experience, as a half hour long mode and vessel of ritualistic conveyance and expression is where the EP begins to shine and separate itself from both underground and mainstream releases. There is a binding sensation, a coherence and cohesiveness, that accompanies the EP that is grossly lacking from the vast majority of extreme metal releases. Where others issue what sounds and feels like a collection of loose rehearsal-room ideas, forced and dragged creatively into existence, Noctivagum produces that which plays out like something greater than the musicians themselves, a trio of artists who understand that they have the physical and mental capacity to manifest and generate something that grows substantially larger than the individual artist, created from absolutely nothing and brought to life through sheer creative force of will. Perhaps, that is the ritual in itself.

Production on De Arcanis et Ritibus Sulphuris ranges from crisp and acute clean segments to abrasive bursts of triumphant, raw fury. While clean instrumentation shows up in both intro and outro, as well as throughout many of the tracks, it’s used as a tool to invoke atmospheric change. Its contrast is the viciously raw melodic black metal that exists on the other side. It is literal contrast at work, tension and release at the largest scale possible, employing two totally different ranges of sound and dynamics that are blending into one another and executed in a relatively flawless manner. Guitars during the raw segments are frontal, grimy, and lack sharp tonal presence in the highs, leading to a hot range between the lows and the mids. Bass is difficult to discern, but it is present. Percussion is present with an almost muted bass drum dynamic, strong pop from the snare and great detail to the cymbals. Vocals are frontal but never overwhelmingly high in the mix, instead emerging from the fog and smoke created through the guitars and drums as some sort of sonic accompaniment, prominent and demanding, but never unpleasant or annoying.

Overall, those looking for true occult black metal, you have it right here. It is genuine, non-theatrical, and honest. It feels as if one is being initiated into some strange rite during playback, it is engaging and hooking, not pestering and obnoxious in presence. It doesn’t fall into the ill tropes of mass consumption black metal/entertainment, it doesn’t even attempt to participate in such a thing, it is a standalone creation that forms and dissolves, flows through a core of five solidly constructed songs, and keeps the listener locked in and rewarded. For American audiences, imagine underground acts such as Cirrhus, Oldowan Gash, or Strongblood, but with less direct approaches, and more artistic exploration, leaning less on typical powerful riff-forward deliveries and more so on collective musicality. A worthy first effort that signals greater, more powerful rituals on the dimming horizon.

Band: Noctivagum

AJK