Recommendation: Noekk - The Minsterl's Curse (2008, Prophecy Productions)

The Minster's Curse, Our Blessing...

An odd group, this duo from Germany (with ties to many other groups, such as Empyrium), playing a progressive form of metal that forays into the realms of heavy and doom metal. Another distinctive factor is the deep and mesmerizing vocals (mostly clean, at times growls). Their music is dense, melodic and captivating. They've released three albums: The Water Sprite (2005), The Grimalkin (2006) and The Minsterl's Curse (2008). Already their first one caught my ear but The Minsterl's Curse, though short an album, is as good an achievement as any of their 2 other albums and as appealing. There's a good portion of doom metal in here, balanced nicely with intricate song writing and appealing tunes. But more than just that, the sum of their sound surpasses the additive effect of the ingredients. There is something special and ear grabbing in their sound, an otherworldly quality, an attention-capturing essence that's hard for me to detach from. Only 4 tracks on this album and a total of about 34 minutes, but it is rewarding nonetheless. Succinct and to the point. Try their previous albums as well.

Myspace
Label band page