After a solid first EP called Life-Death-Empty, released in 2022 by Malignant Voices, Polish entity Nihilvm brings us their debut album Ancient Cosmic Emanation, released on the 29th of July 2025. This time the band works together with both Malignant Voices and Terratur Possessions. The EP was already a great piece of work so I can not wait to dive straight into the music. But first:
Nihilvm, created in 2020 consisting of four members. L. Verewolf on the guitars and vocals, Jeff om bass duties, Shitala behind the kit and Defekator on the guitars as well. Besides the mysterious Jeff, each member has multiple (past) bands. So we are dealing with musicians with some experience in metal.
This album was recorded in 2023-2024 at studio The crypt, and production has been done by none other than M (from Mgla & No Solace, last being his label). The cover art has been beautifully done by KATARAXIA, which I unfortunately cannot find any more works from this person. The band names the lyrical themes: Astral death, darkness and space. I think the artwork really suits this, the front cover is really busy but if you take a deeper look at it, everything is there.
Great so far! Now the music:
To start with, the production is top notch (as expected from the producer of Mgla). The sound is very defined, yet dark & heavy. It is a mix between black and death metal with a lot of different techniques used. Fast tremolo sections, check. Mid tempo sections perfect for headbanging, check. Great contrast between those sections, again, check!
The vocals are very diverse, ranging from haunting clean and chanting to the deepest gutterals. L. Werewolf really captures the daunting presence of the cosmic void. The tracks almost have a doom metal vibe on them, yet keeping the pressure in the present.
The guitars are greatly defined, not bass heavy yet sounding deep and full. They lay perfectly in the mix and give the other instruments a lot of room to sound great. Talking about bass heavy, the bass guitar is really a daunting force to beckon with. It really carries the heaviness of the music. Lines are not overly playful, something this type of music needs. It is there where you want it to be.
The drums are very tight, greatly produced and sits just right in the mix. You can hear that the drummer and engineer really knows their stuff. During every section (slower of faster) it remains precise and clear. The kickdrum sounds great in unison with the bass guitar, something that gets missed a lot. Both are there in the mix, great stuff.
All in all, during almost 40 minutes Nihilvm takes you to the darkest parts of space. The mix is solid and everybody is bringing their A-game. This is truly an upcoming act, and I hope to see them live in the Netherlands soon!
90/100
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