Noctiferia hail from Slovenia, and Per Aspera is their 2003 debut, now reissued by Artic Music in conjunction with the folks at Crash Music. The music here is mid-paced, technical death metal, with dual guitar riffing, bass, and drums, plus some keyboards thrown in for extra atmosphere. The vocals of Gianni Poposki have an almost black metal feel to them, but the complex riffs thrown at you by he and Igo Nardin are purely from the death metal camp. Listen to the two of them weave plenty of crunchy yet complex lines & riffs on the epic track "Grief to Master", a real winner of a number that also sees some spooky keyboards as well as pummeling drum work from Robert Steblovnik. The band also mix in some acoustic interludes now and then, as on "Fond of Lies" and "God's Debris", which might remind of Opeth at times.
Lots of textures, atmosphere, and crushing power abound on Per Aspera. Fans of death, black, and progressive metal should find plenty to sink their teeth into on this very enjoyable slab of extreme metal. Most of the songs are lengthy, and have a melodic, epic feel to them that is further enhanced by the excellent musicianship and effective vocals. I'm not sure just what happened to this band after this release, but judging by how good this is, I'm certainly going to be doing some investigating.
Track Listing
1. Per Aspera
2. Grief To Master
3. Fond Of Lies
4. Aught Against Thee
5. God's Debris
6. Seething Eye
7. Realm Burns On
8. Never Rue
9. Err To Hell
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