The genre of Black Metal seems to be getting many genres within itself. Now it seems there is a whole slew of bands out there that refer to themselves as Celtic Black Metal. Nonetheless, XERIÓN is another name to add to that list. Coming from Spain and formed in 2001 by vocalist/bassist/guitarist Nocturno, the band had a complete line up by 2003. Releasing several splits and demos Nocturnal Misantropia is actually their first full length release.

As the album begins we are treated to a pipe flute. I begin to wonder if this is a prelude to some really ridiculous music. Fortunately ridiculous is the last thing XERIÓN turns out to be. The song suddenly blasts into black metal fury. As the next song begins, which is the title track to the album Nocturnal Misantropia, I am amazed by the power this band is unleashing. Fast blast beats, fastly paced guitars, and demon like black metal growls from Nocturno. Surprisingly the keyboards, which are played by a woman named Daga, are very atmospheric and enhance the music quite nicely, even taking it to another level. The production on this album is quite satisfying; the drums are a little low in the mix. The accentuation is mainly on the guitar, vocals and keyboards. Listening to XERIÓN they somehow manage to invoke the spirit of nature into their songs. Song three is a bit creepy and odd, as it is just bells tolling. Song four, Na Traza Esoterica Do Ar Invisible picks up where the second song left off. The song is aggressive, yet full of melody. Song five slows down a bit with tribal beats and until we reach the middle and it picks up speed. The final two songs are just as fast and powerful as the beginning songs. Centering the lyrics in Galician Folklore, none are in English, so I cannot tell you what they are about. Whatever they are about though, it seems that XERIÓN have certainly captured a type of magic that so many bands try to capture and just can’t.

Nocturnal Misantropia also includes a video clip for the title track, which is quite weird, but also explains XERIÓN quite well. Fans of melodic black metal will be quite pleased with XERIÓN’s Nocturnal Misantropia, I know I was.