Noctogon - Nocturne

Noctogon​

Nocturne
self-released; 2015

3.3 out of 5

By Ted Rogen
​

Since early 2015 Noctogon has been together and recently released Nocturne. The band has caused quite a ruckus especially with the exclusive inner circle of dead presidents. Howard Taft who was the heaviest president the United States had this to say, "Prepare your earholes." Many other far less important people in modern times have said things to say but no one has really cared.

The band doesn't rock as much as flirts with different styles and then explores it as if they are into free jazz.  First up is "Mercantile Bastards" which has some catchy moments and does some off kilter rocking out.

The first thing you are greeted with a bass, maybe a guitar. By the time drums enter into the mix the notes are almost completely masked by the organ and drums. I enjoyed the vocals a lot in fact they were the best aspect of the song. There some good harmonies and the band mixes it up enough to keep you engaged.

The six-plus minute "Quantum Estate" starts with light electric piano which had a mellow ‘70s tone which you heard on a couple of Led Zeppelin albums. There is some marginal conversation happening in the background. I heard something about YouTube and at that point decided I should stop paying attention to what was being said. The band loosely jams on a couple of riffs as if they just got inspired by The Dark Side of The Moon before letting loose. For some absolutely insane reason the guitarist puts distortion on his guitar which increases the energy by at least five percent. The song also gets faster as the band successfully tries to mimic what it sounds like traveling through a wormhole.

Then comes "Saint" which is a song that will most likely be used in some sort of play. Most likely a laugh riot. The music is jazzy and a bit bluesy. They close with a most controversial dessert called "Tiramisu." I've always been a fan but in fact prefer cannoli. The song is the most single worthy of the bunch in some ways. 

Nocturne is a decent effort from the band. The band hasn't formed much of a distinct sound with this release but did show some potential. If the band can improve the recording quality and continue to evolve they should be well on their way.

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