Fair warning—you won’t be allowed to make “Noltem? Hardly know ’em” jokes after reading this. Six years have passed since Noltem‘s last release, EP Mannaz. In that time, this East Coast, genre-bridging act added a member, signed with Transcending Obscurity, and assembled the suite of riff-forward songs that is now their first LP, Illusions in the Wake. While Mannaz has some of the characteristics of Illusions—soaring melodies, lush production, an even rhythmic foundation—it feels in hindsight like a well-realized drawing that informed a later painting. Illusions in the Wake is one of the most impressionistic metal albums released in recent years. There’s nothing quite like … Continue reading Interview: Noltem – Illusions in the Wake