While not quite as memorably great as their 2008 masterpiece--the darkly incandescent ASSASSINS: BLACK MEDDLE, PT.
1--Nachtmystium's 2004 full-length DEMISE finds the Chicago heavies nascently blueprinting their black metal meets anti-matter psychedelia sound.
The first hint that this is not a standard black metal record is the cheap, fuzzy distortion--more reminiscent of Mudhoney than Darkthrone--that envelops the propulsive rhythms.
"Rise and Fall" hints at the deep space evil to inhabit their next releases while "Scorpio Incarnate" reveals the last stand of raw black metal in their approach.
Following the wide critical success of ASSASSINS, DEMISE was remastered and reissued in 2009 with bonus tracks.