Assassins: Black Meddle, Pt. 1

Nothing is more thrilling than when a band discovers its musical destiny, and on ASSASSINS: BLACK MEDDLE, PART 1, Chicago metal outfit Nachtmystium does just that. With a slyly punning title--"black" as in "black metal" and "meddle" as in the Pink Floyd album--Nachtimystium boldly forges a new genre of psychedelic extreme metal. Since this Chicago quartet's roots are purely in the black, ASSASSINS is not merely another Sabbath-worshiping, fuzz-pedal-stomping stoner workout. Black metal's tectonic plate-shifting rhythms, bowels-of-hell vocals, and general sonic invincibility are still present here, but enveloped in phasers, lysergic guitars licks, and a headphone-friendly production that will please fans of Sleep or High on Fire. Black metal purists be forewarned: "Seasick (Part II: Oceanbourne)" contains--among other affronts to those who like their genre lines kept clear--a Hawkwind-style, freakout sax trading riffs with the guitars.