Nocternity Enshadowed

As the creative impetus of the original Hellenic Black Metal movement had started wane in the late-1990s, a new horde of bands emerged – many of whom adopted a different approach to Black Metal more in keeping with the sonorities and frosty atmospherics of Northern Europe. Among the elite acts of the times were the Athenian NOCTERNITY ENSHADOWED (better known by the shortened moniker ENSHADOWED, which was employed a few years down the road). Taking cues from the old garde of Nordic Black Metal, yet forging these influences to fit their own vision, NOCTERNITY ENSHADOWED paved way for a reinvigoration of the country’s Black Metal scene.

Originally founded as SACRIFICIAL in 1998, the earliest known lineup of the band consisted of Impaler (vocals, drums – BURIAL HORDES, MERCILESS CRUCIFIXION, VOMIT CHURCH, etc.), Lord Acheron (bass, keyboards – VOMIT CHURCH) and perpetual main-man Necrotormentor (guitars – BURIAL HORDES, MERCILESS CRUCIFIXION, VOMIT CHURCH, etc.). Under this name, the band released a one-track (+intro) demo tape/CDr entitled “Dethroned” (1998), which we unfortunately haven’t been able to locate yet.

In 1999, the name was changed to NOCTERNITY ENSHADOWED, which in many ways fit comfortably with the music contained on the forthcoming trio of demos released under this interim moniker – dark, violent and yet with an underlying sense of wonder that made the band stand out amongst the crowd of corpse-painted imitators that flooded the Black Metal scene at the time. First out of the bunch was the “Reign of Terror” (1999) demo CDr, which featured the same member configuration as the preceding recording as SACRIFICIAL. Oddly enough, the three tracks contained (excluding the thickly atmospheric intro) could be likened to the raw, yet melodic and slightly “nostalgic-sounding” underground Black Metal of certain German bands active at about the same time. Especially the contemporary works of MOONBLOOD comes to mind. A song like “Ancient Funeral” would fit quite neatly into the latter’s classic release “Blut Und Krieg” (1997).

By the time of the sophomore demo, 2000’s “Creation Odes”, several changes had taken place in the band’s ranks. Firstly, the lineup had seen a major overhaul. Unless this was a case of old members changing their pseudonyms, it appears as if Necrotormentor (guitars) remains as the only original member, joined by Nocturnal (vocals), Lecherous (bass) and Grahelm (drums – END, SUN OF NOTHING, LUNATIC MEDLAR). Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, was the development of the band’s sound and song-writing abilities. While none of the tracks contained surpass the five-minute mark, “Cremation Odes” emanate a certain epic sensibility in the grand tradition of EMPEROR’s “In the Nightside Eclipse”. Definitely one of the most promising Black Metal demo releases coming out of Greece around the turn of the millennium.

Interestingly, the third and last demo under the name of NOCTERNITY ENSHADOWED once again witnessed a band eager to explore new musical territories. With Necrotormentor (guitars) and Grahelm (drums) now joined by newcomers Drakhon (vocals) and Draenzarth (bass), 2001’s self-titled, three-track demo CDr largely eschews the grand and melodic/atmospheric approach of “Cremation Odes” in favor of a significantly more violent and semi-chaotic sound, closer to the hyper-sped works of say, Sweden’s MARDUK – although N.E.’s music comes across as significantly more thorough-composed than a release like “Panzer Division Marduk” (1999). This exploratory approach to style would seemingly remain with the band for the rest of their career, as can be witnessed on subsequent works released under the shortened name of ENSHADOWED.

With three strong demo releases under their belt, NOCTERNITY ENSHADOWED was signed to the then-upcoming native label Black Lotus Records, releasing their debut full-length album in 2002. By this time, the name had been shortened to ENSHADOWED (probably as a move to avoid confusion with the fellow Greeks in NOCTERNITY?). The later history of the band is documented in a separate post to be found here.

Although the original demos of NOCTERNITY ENSHADOWED are quite difficult to come by these days, the three recordings can be relatively easily acquired on the compilation tape “Awaken the Undead” released by the Brazilian Goat Music Records in 2005.

Compilation appearances:
* Gathering the Abyss [CDr, Comp: Nightspirit Productions, 2001]