„I cannot see you
You clearly
Cannot see me“

An Arte concert video from Hellfest, with the german band Dolch. Sounds like black/dark metal and darkwave. And doesn't really do the band justice. The idea is to convey emotions, the music is the vehicle. Dolch isn't inventing anything new, nor is that their aim. The aim is to express something musically, and they succeed in doing so in an atmospheric way. The album Nacht sounds more like electronic ambient dark wave. With sprinkles of doom and post-punk. It's all more reduced and gets the mood right. The singer's ethereal voice fits incredibly well. The music represents the band, not the names. M - vocals, T - vocals and guitar, N bass, P - drums, A - guitar. There is only rudimentary information about the band. Do I like that? Nope. It doesn't have to. The music is just really good. The album Nacht is the second part of a trilogy. “Feuer”, “Nacht” and “Tod”. The latter hasn't been released yet.

I'll start with what I noticed negatively, but thats not the fault of the band. It's not the first time that new LPs are making a lot of cracking and popping noises, especially in quieter passages. This is even more annoying when an album like Nacht has a lot of quiet passages. A lot of effort has been put into it, flawless surface, 180 grams, no wobble of the record, which sits firmly on the surface. I've seen much worse from much bigger labels, this is perfect. The record itself is completely covered in black cardboard, with a moon with stars stamped on the front.

The record itself is a gatefold, the booklet is inside and the LP is on the right. I love all of that about vinyl. I cleaned the record with a record cleaner, but it didn't gets any better.

The music is definitely very good, even if it's a matter of taste. The record captured me immediately. I like the mood. Mood is the wrong word. Ambience is a better description. And I find that more in dark music. According to the band, the record can be understood as an urban journey through the night or a journey of the mind through the night, between euphoria and depression, light and darkness. Without having known this statement before, when I first heard it I felt like I was going to several clubs.

The first three songs set the tone and I consider this passage to be a highlight: “Lights Out”, “Open” and “Tonight”. M’s voice fits like a glove. I was immediately drawn into the music. Very few records by artists I didn’t know before manage to do that for me. “Lights Out” starts very quietly, with a dark sound, spoken text (“Take Control, Seeker of the Night”) and sloppy vocals (“I can not see you, you clearly can not see me”). Drones dominate here. After 01:36 minutes it moves on to the song “Open”. It is the vocals, distorted guitar, more rhythm and dark keyboards with slow drums that have an almost hypnotic effect on me. The voice and rhythm form a unit, a little too ethereal and harder to understand. And the lyrics in particular describe the state of our society pretty well. For me, the strongest song on the album. “Tonight” continues ethereally, almost sounding happy. The lyrics are minimalistic and yet full of strong emotion. Neon lights, nightclubs, vibes of attractiveness. And the Grim Reaper could almost be knocking on the door. My interpretation and I love this song. I could go on praising every song, but I won't do that to you now. "Mercury" and "Into the Night" alone are brilliant in their presentation. More in the conclusion.

Conclusion: If I were to award points, which I don't, Nacht by Dolch would be above the maximum. I think it's silly to give Nacht 10 points and Darkside of The Moon 10 as well. It doesn't do either album justice.
I am certainly emotionally impressed by this record. I particularly highlight the vocals, which oscillate between silky fragility and mental strength, and I just love them. The music does the rest: drone, darkwave, industrial, electronic, doom, postpunk and ambient. Prog heart, even if it isn't prog, what more could you want? Every song, even those with cumbersome titles like House of Glass (Hydroxytryptamin Baby Part III), has its strengths. The sound is stripped down, sometimes a certain monotony is celebrated that isn't boring. The art is to present everything perfectly. "Songs" like "Nacht" with 19 seconds of spoken German text, that works here and it fits the theme. The vocals on Nacht are carried by M, sometimes supported by T., which increases the emotionality even more. "I am Ok" and "Bird of Prey" are examples of what T. can do too. An all-round successful album. It would be on the turntable every day if the vinyl wasn't so full of crackling noises.
Nacht was released in 2022.
I will soon review the album Feuer on CD and vinyl.

The photos are all from my LP. The rights to all motifs, logos, texts and fonts that can be seen in the photos are of course owned by the copyright holder.