Nox Aurea - Via Gnosis (CD)

Review
Pest Webzine

Although Solitude Prod. presents the band as being a young one, Nox Aurea are around since 2005, so I won't consider the band young. This is their debut album, a major effort extended for more than 70 minutes of depressive, dark and melancholic sounds brilliantly released by this ultra-professional Russian label (one of the best I've seen lately). Nox Aurea are compared mostly with Draconian, but there are multiple differences between the two bands: Draconian relay mostly on female vocals while Nox Aurea are based more on the male vox having female vox as support only, Nox Aurea are darker, more death metal influenced, have a heavier sound (traditional doom metal type) while Draconian are more gothic influenced, and Nox Aurea are much more depressive and melancholic than Draconian, so I wouldn't agree completely with these comparisons, maybe only a bit with the older Draconian work.
I do enjoy a lot the vocal work, 4 of the 5 musicians have their vocal touch inhere and although most of the time it's regular Doom Death hoarse types of vocals, the combination with Alice's warm tone and with some male clean parts it's something that gets to you quickly if you're into this music. The drums work is also a very good one revealing a drummer full of ideas, and regarding the guitars I have only one observation, I would have liked some melodic guitar solos here and there. Though I would recommend this only to Doom/Death connaisseurs as the length will bore the hell out of you if you're not used to such sounds.
The production is splendid, no worries about that, you'll get a very professional material like there all once.

Author: Adrian

Review
Doom-metal.com
16.04.2010

Coming from Sweden, here’s a new band that isn’t playing the usual Candlemass-influenced Epic Doom but rather the Gothic Doom made prominent by fellow countrymen Draconian. To go even straighter to the knotty point: Nox Aurea is a Draconian clone. Female vocals and symphonic keyboards and mournful guitars and deep beastly male growls and dark artwork...All this is well done, but devoid of anything really personal.

Despite starting with such strong negative points, Nox Aurea still manage to bring something a bit interesting in their first release : musicianship. For Nox Aurea is a wee bit more technical than Draconian, especially in the guitar and bass area. This is due mostly to the presence in the band of Peter Laustsen, guitarist for the technical Black Metal band Rimfrost. Now, the problem is that Rimfrost is nothing more than a good Immortal clone, And thus may explain why Nox Aurea is nothing more than a good Draconian clone. Therefore, if you like Draconian, there's pretty much every chance you'll like this first release from Nox Aurea.

Now what I really want to say to the band is this : what can be forgiven for a first album will surely become an hinderance if the band can’t develop a personality of their own. There's copycats of well-known bands everywhere on the Doom scene, and in these days of digital music and financial crisis, it's pretty sure that the fans won't have the money for the clone when they can get the original.

Author: Laurent Lignon

Review
The Streets
6/10
07.02.2010

De svenske debutantene kommer egentlig ganske greit fra det på «Via Gnosis». Det er profesjonelt og gjennomført til fingerspissene. Alt fra produksjon til instrumenttraktering er av ypperlig karakter og det finnes ikke ei tone som stikker i ørene. De har landet på en mellomting av Death/Doom og Gothic Metal, hvor den mektig dødsrøsten og de drønnende riffene også ledsages av sart og vakker kvinnesang, mannlig snakkevokal og store synthtepper. Det er også disse momentene som blir deres verste fiender. Personlig kunne jeg klart meg uten alt det gotiske fjaset de har funnet for godt å inkludere og utgivelsen hadde da også være langt sterkere. Samtidig er det ikke til å legge skjul på at det blir svært kjedelig og langtekkelig med et låtmaterial som blir ekstremt lite utfordrende i lengden. Kombiner dette med en varighet på over 70 minutter (de burde gitt seg på rundt 50) og det imponerende førsteinntrykket falmer fort utover i plata. Er du i det romatiske hjørnet kan det likevel fort være slik at dette er en innertier for Death/Doom-fans.

Review
Friedhof Magazine
8.25/10
16.02.2010

Sobre dragones y eones versa la obertura sinfónica que da inicio a este disco, temática que será arrastrada a lo largo y ancho de “Via Gnosis”. Estamos ante el álbum debut de Nox Aurea, una joven banda sueca formada en el año 2005 que presenta un serio y completo trabajo de Doom Metal, pesado y melódico, ataviado de teclados y elementos sinfónicos.
Las letras nos esbozan un mundo de destrucción, de un gnosticismo intimista donde la soledad y espiritualidad se manifiestan en un marco abstracto e indeterminado del espacio y el tiempo.
La parcela vocal arroja desesperación e ira mediante el empleo de guturales o fraseos hablados. Nox Aurea añaden una nota más, la pureza del Caos. Junto a la desgarradora voz masculina, ya sean voces limpias de tremenda desesperación o el devastador grito gutural, emerge y destaca la voz femenina de Alice Persell. Impresionante trabajo el de una chica sin anterior experiencia conocida que ataca diversos palos y acomete variados registros a muy buen nivel. Por citar alguna referencia, la voz femenina recuerda a Sarah Jezebel Deva en los relatos de “Odium Divinum” o a Liv Kristine, en las voces góticas de “Suffer”.
“Via gnosis” ofrece los clásicos tiempos lentos, propios del género Doom. Riffs pesados y contundentes, arropados por las atmósferas que generan los teclados y asentados en una mera corrección de la que se hace difícil destacar algo. Para encontrar el mejor momento instrumental señalaría la combinación de las guitarras de ciertos riffs de “Mother Aletheia”.
Más de una hora de música para que Nox Aurea completen un buen primer álbum con visos de gran banda, en lo que a calidad de presentación y propuesta se refiere, aunque lo cierto es que para calificarles de tal forma les faltaría la dosis de genialidad que les hiciese dar ese salto de calidad.

Author: Agui

Review
Deadshop.info
9/10

Here it is! At least comes great stuff into doom metal genre! NOX AUREA is coming from Sweden, I never heard about them before, but I‘m very glad this album comes to me. The music you will hear on this CD is depressive doom/death metal, and it’s made in very good way, by using of such pressing mid tempos, and filled with great gloomy atmosphere. Thos mid tempos slowing down to slow parts with clear voices, and usually here are 3 vocals, growl, clear voice and great female one. Musically I could note such bands like KIMAERA, old WITHIN TEMPTATION and so on… As you see, nothing extraordinary, but pretty impressive music. What could I thought ‘till this CD was playing? I just thought that Sweden always had/have worthy scene may it be death, doom or thrash metal, as all made 1) professionally and 2) music made with pure soul, so you’ll listen to this CD many-many times again and again and you’ll got just great emotions. Thus I think no more words, just get this CD if you are into quality doom/death metal, filled with both darkness and depression! And as for label, they found really worthy band which will got reach future if they will continue in same way!