Nostalghia/The Last Path/Flowing Downward/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Nostalghia  are  a  solo  project  form  Mexico  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  atmospheric  and  depressive  form  of  post  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2023  album  "The  last  Path"  which  was  released  by  Flowing  Downward.

  Acoustic  guitars  start  off  the  album   along  with  some  synths  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  an  atmospheric  feeling  and  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  Saxophones,  clarinets  and  trumpets  can  be  heard  briefly  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  post  metal  style.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing.  Clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  the  vocals  being  mostly  high  pitched  depressive  black  metal  screams  and  clear  male  and  female  singing  can  also  be  heard  briefly.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast b eats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling.  Throughout  the  recording  you   can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  and  fast  parts.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  humanity,  life,  death  and  transcendence  themes  with  some  inspirations  from Biblical  Mythology.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Nostalghia  and  if  you  are  a f an  of  atmospheric  and  depressive  post  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Of  Chaos  is  Born  The  Night"  and  "Efflorescence  / Dirge  For  Nameless  graves".  8  out  of  10.

  https://www.facebook.com/nostalghiametal

https://nostalghia-ab.bandcamp.com   

    

Nostalghia Interview

 

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the solo project these days?

I’m currently taking a break. Since I finished working on Wounds, and after finishing four albums in the span of one year, I’ve been forcing myself to rest in order to avoid burnout. I say “forcing myself” because I don’t really enjoy it, but I know it’s for the best. 

I do have a special surprise planned to be released in a couple weeks, though. 

2.Your last full length came out in October, musically how do you feel it differs from your previous releases?

Mainly, I believe Wounds is a more eclectic album than my previous efforts, and it’s also the most progressive. The production is also way more polished and balanced. 

3.Since 2020 you have released 6 albums, are you still planning on releasing more than one album a year with the Covid pandemic dying down and the world returning back to normal?

I am a very homely person, so things don’t really change much for me whether there is a pandemic or not. For 2023 I’m planning on releasing at least three new albums, but I hope to release four by the end of the year. Nostalghia’s 10th album is already intended to be released in December next year. I’ve already calculated my workflow and cooked all of my ideas, so I guess it should all go fine. 

4.A lot of your lyrics are based upon poems, can you tell us a little bit more about the lesser known poets you have covered lyrically so far?

I guess I could speak about three of them: Nezahualcóyotl was an Aztec poet whose poetry I used for my song Sólo un poco aquí. I’ve always admired his deceivingly simple appreciation of nature, life and death. Manuel Gutiérrez Nájera was a Mexican poet whose poem Para entonces I used for Shroud of Flowers, though I did adapt the poem to English. That poem in particular has a special place in my mind, since I deeply reflect on the desire to have a peaceful, dreamlike death. Finally, Alejandro H. Monarres is a Slovenian-Mexican poet and a friend, who very kindly gifted me one of his poems for the song Contemplación fúnebre. He’s also going to collaborate on Nostalghia’s next album, The Last Path.

5.What are some of the other lyrical topics and subjects you have explored so far with the music?

Every one of my albums has a different concept, but there are certainly common ideas. Mainly, I like to speak about what worries me: the passing of time, the duality of life and death, change, my relationship with nature and other people, regret, grief, and even the philosophical consideration of suicide. 

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Nostalghia'?

The word is the title of a movie by one of my favourite filmmakers: Andrei Tarkovsky. It’s a Russian word, or at least the transliteration of it. Cinema in general has been one major influence in writing my music, but the contemplative and pensive approach of Tarkovsky has been one of the most important sources of inspiration. I chose this word so as to pay a sort of homage, but also because the feeling of nostalgia is a recurrent motif in my songs and I try to convey that emotion through the music itself. 

7.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the current album cover?

The cover for Wounds is the painting Death the Bride by Thomas Cooper Gotch. “Death and the Maiden” was a very common motif in Renaissance art in which death, often represented as a male figure or a skeleton, seduces a female figure symbolizing life and youth. Classically, both engage in dances, they embrace or escape together. However, the painting by Thomas Cooper Gotch is a twist on this motif: here, life and death are presented as single unity rather than separate entities –life and death are “married” for eternity, hence the figure in the painting is wearing a black veil. She is also surrounded by poppy flowers, which are traditionally used to symbolize death and danger. On a side note: Amapola is the name of the album’s interlude track, which is Spanish for poppy flower. 

8.With this project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to work solo?

I like working by myself because I can progress at my own pace. Nonetheless, I am open to working with other musicians, as I already have in the last three albums, featuring solos by multi-instrumentalist and friend Valeria Dávila. It’s always a pleasure to find people who understand one’s vision. 

9.The last couple of albums were released on 'Flowing Downward', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

It’s an Italian label which contacted me just prior to the release of Au milieu de l’hiver. We might continue to release physical material in the next year, and overall it’s all been a very pleasant experience. Honestly, I just hope they can keep up with the pace of my releases!

10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?

I’m not sure most people who enjoy my music are “fans of black metal”, since the music I make merges many different genres and approaches. But overall, I think the reception has been positive… more than I ever expected, to be honest. 

11.Can you tell us a little bit more about some of the other bands or musical projects that you are a part of?

Before I started working on Nostalghia “full time”, I also worked on several other personal projects. I recorded music under different names since the styles were so diverse: industrial, post-punk, noise pop, avant-garde jazz, math rock, progressive metal, ambient, trip-hop… The list goes on. I was releasing about three or four albums a year, too. But then Nostalghia had some unexpected moderate success, so I continued to find the inspiration for more albums. I expect to continue to work on other projects as soon as I have the time.  

12.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?

I hope to make a living off my music one day. Honestly, that’s all I expect: to do nothing but work on my music every day. There’s a long way to go, it seems, but I do hope to reach this point any time soon. 

13.What are some of the bands or musical styles that you are currently listening to nowadays?

Nowadays I’ve been listening to plenty of pop music. Lately I’ve enjoyed some releases by Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, Jessie Ware, Beach House and Fiona Apple. I’ve also been exploring the revival of “dissonant” metal, such as Ad Nauseam and Imperial Triumphant.  

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Everyone: take care of your physical, mental and emotional health. 

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Nostalghia/Wounds/Flowing Downward/2022 Full Length Review

 

  This  is  the  final  review  of  a  recording  from  Mexico's  solo  project  Nostalghia  which  shows  the  music  going  for  more  of  an  atmospheric  and  depressive  style  of  post  black  metal  and  the  album  was  released  in  2022  by  Flowing  Downward  and  called  "Wounds".

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  ad d in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling.  When  keyboards  are  utilized  they  also  give  the  music  more  of  an  atmospheric  edge  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  post  metal  style.

  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  depressive  black  metal  screams  while  growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  most  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Whispers  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  clean  sections  of  some  of  the  tracks  also  taking  the  music  into  more  of  a  progressive  direction,  accordion's  can  also  be  heard  briefly  as  well  as  some  tracks  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  clear  vocals  and  one  of  the  songs  is  also  a  brief  acoustic  instrumental  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  poetic  and  melancholic  themes.

  In  my  opinion this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Nostalghia  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  and  depressive  post  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Quiet  Grief"  "Hypnagogic"  and  "Exit  Wounds".  8  out  of  10.

  https://nostalghia-ab.bandcamp.com/album/wounds     

Nostalghia/Au milieu de I'hiver/Flowing Downward/2022 Full Length Review

 

  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  Mexico's  solo  project  Nostalghia  which  continues  the  atmospheric  and  depressive  style  of  post  black  metal  and  the  album  was  released  in  2022  by  Flowing  Downward  and  called  "Au  milieu  de  I'hiver"  which  was  released  by  Flowing  Downward.

  Saxophones  start  off  the  album  while  keyboards  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can b e  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  post  metal  style.

  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  depressive  black  metal  screams  while  all  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  clean  playing  also  giving  the  songs  more  of  a  progressive  feeling  when  they  are  utilized.

  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  atmospheric  sounding  along  with  the  album  also  going  for  more  of  a  modern  black  metal  direction  as  well  as  the  vocals  also  having  their  deeper  moments,  the  music  is  also  a  lot  more  raw  and  aggressive  than  the  previous  albums  reviewed  but  still  retaining  all  the  melody  and  atmosphere.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  nature  and  melancholy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Nostalghia  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  and  depressive  post  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Elegy"  and  "Scent  Of  Sleep  And  Tears".  8  out  of  10.

  https://nostalghia-ab.bandcamp.com/album/au-milieu-de-lhiver.

 

Nostalghia/Olvido/2022 Full Length Review

 

  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  Mexico's  solo  project  Nostalghia  which  shows  the  music  going  for  more  of  an  atmospheric  and  depressive  style  of  post  black  metal  and  the  album  was  self  released  in  2022  and  called  "Olvido".

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  When  keyboards  are  utilized  they  also  give  the  music  more  of  an  atmospheric  feeling  and  clear  vocals  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  post  metal  style  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.  The  music  also  has  its  progressive  moments  along  with  a  couple  of  tracks  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  clarinets .

Vocals  are mostly  high  pitched  depressive  black  emtal  screams  along  with  some  melodies  also being added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  as  will  as   the  tremolo  picking  in  the  faster  riffs  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling  when  they  are  utilized,  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length. Clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  on  the  closing  track.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  poetic  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  form  Nostalghia  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  and  depressive  post  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Abandon"  "Restless"  and  "Deliverance".  8  out  of  10.

  https://nostalghia-ab.bandcamp.com/album/olvido

Nostalghia/Here, At The End Of All Things/2021 Full Length Review

 

  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  Mexico's  solo  project  Nostalghia  which  continues  the  atmospheric  and  depressive  style  of   post  black  metal  from his  previous  releases  and  the  album  was  released  in  2021  and  called  "Here,  At  The  End  Of  All  Things".

  Nature  sounds  and  acoustic  guitars  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  post  metal  style.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  During  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast b eats  can b e  heard  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  yet  depressive  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  the  music  also  has  its  atmospheric  moments.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  music  also  adding  in  some  progressive  touches  at  times  along  with  one  song  also  introducing  clear  vocals  onto  the  album.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Nature  and  Poetry  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Nostalghia  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  and  depressive  post  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Shroud  Of  Flowers"  "Mist  Of  Memories"  and  "The  End  of  All  Things".  8  out  of  10.

  https://nostalghia-ab.bandcamp.com/album/here-at-the-end-of-all-things

Nostalghia/Lifeless/2021 Full Length Review

 

  This  is  a  review  of  another  recording  from  Mexico's  solo  project  Nostalghia  which  shows  the  music  continuing  the atmospheric  and  depressive  style  of  post  black  metal  from  his  previous  release  and  the  album  was  self  released  in  2021  and  called  "Lifeless".

  Atmospheric  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  The  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  some  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  while  one  of  the  tracks  also  adds  in  some  touches  of  folk  music.  and  classical  guitars.  High  pitched  depressive  black  metal  screams  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  which  also  gives  the  album  more  of  a  raw  feeling.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  post  metal  style  when t hey  are  utilized  as  well  as  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts,  clean  playing  and  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  at  times,  clear  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  paranormal  and  poetic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Mexico's  Nostalghia  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  and  depressive  post  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Murder  Of  Crows"  and  "White  Light".  8  out  of  10.

https://nostalghia-ab.bandcamp.com/album/lifeless  

Nostalghia/Obsequies For Lost Memories/2020 Full Length Review

 

  Nostalghia  are  a  solo  project  from  Mexico  City,  Mexico  that  plays  and  atmospheric  and  depressive  style  of  post  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2020  album  "Obsequies  For  Lost  Memories".

   Tragic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  while  female  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly  before  going  into a  heavier  direction.  A  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  some  clear  male  vocals  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  they  also  give  the  music  more  of  a  post  rock  touch.

  High  pitched  depressive  black metal  screams  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  while  melodic  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing.  Clean  playing  and  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  album  along  with  the  music  also  having  its  progressive  moments.

  The  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  when  they  are  utilized  and  when  the  music  finally  speeds  up  on  a  couple  of  songs  a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  recording  more  of  a  raw  feeling.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  depressive  and  poetic  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Nostalghia  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  and  depressive  post  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Pale  Phoenix"  and  "The  Fallen".  8 out  of  10.

  https://nostalghia-ab.bandcamp.com/album/obsequies-for-lost-memories