THE BEAST

Band: Nyxem
Album Title: Behind the Veil of Light
Label: Independent
Release Date: 26th April 2020
Genre: Progressive Synth Metal

Description:
Behind the Veil of Light is the first full-length release by Nyxem, following 2019’s debut EP Decompiled, which created a high energy fusion between metal and electronic styles, all imbued with a highly melodic and progressive flavor. This newest album takes that formula and pushes the production and composition to new heights. The use of synthesized Moog “guitars” and creative blending of idioms makes this work something that has never been heard before.

Influences for the album:
Nobuo Uematsu, Master Boot Record, Carpenter Brut, Dance with the Dead, Perturbator, Amon Amarth, At the Gates, In Flames, Ihsahn, Opeth, Disasterpeace

Track Suggestions:
Above the Abyss
War Engine
Divine Madness
In the Name of Baphomet

Bio:
Nyxem was started in 2016 as a foray into darksynth music production by composer Jonah Hontos, whose previous musical interests and pursuits in video game soundtrack composition and progressive metal quickly turned the project into a melding of synthwave, metal, prog, and game music. Early on, a key creative decision was made to create metal style sounds without using any actual guitars, instead using synthesizers run through high gain amp modelling software.

After several years of experimenting with these new sounds and musical ideas, the Decompiled EP was finally released in early 2019 as a proof of concept. The results of this experimentation were so promising that a further effort was inspired to create a much more substantial work.

Over the next year, countless hours were dedicated to perfecting the techniques established in the EP’s creation and crafting more intricate and elaborate song structures. All the while, Jonah was building up a veritable arsenal of high end analog synthesizers to replace the in-the-box digital ones used previously - trying and discarding or keeping each one to create a palette that perfectly expressed the sonic goals of the project. The synthesized guitar sounds were updated to be heavier and more driving, and the diversity of compositional timbres and textures was likewise increased.

The result of these 15 months of focused labor is the album ‘Behind the Veil of Light’. This release represents the consummation of the merging of the aesthetics of progressive metal and darksynth music, creating a new child product that is unlike anything heard before, while retaining enough familiar characteristics and strong melodic sense to be engaging and catchy.

Band Line-Up:
Jonah Hontos - analog synths, all performance and sequencing, recording, mixing and mastering

CD Track Listing:
01 - Ra in Thy Rising
02 - War Engine
03 - Trees of Eternity
04 - Above the Abyss
05 - Divine Madness
06 - Abraxas
07 - The Secret Flame
08 - In the Name of Baphomet

Social Media:
https://nyxem.bandcamp.com/ 
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBK59t095NECFc6EDIjevSQ 
https://www.facebook.com/nyxem93 
https://twitter.com/Nyxem93