Band:	Nadja
Album:	Sonnborner
Style:	Ambient Drone, Doom metal
Release date:	September 2018

01. Sonnborner/Aten
02. In The Shadow Of The Wing Of The Thing Too Big To Be Seen
03. Sunwell
04. Stillborn (A Fragment)
05. Sunborn (Coda)

Impossible as it may seem, with over 50 releases under their belt, Nadja sure don't seem to be running out of ideas anytime soon.

Nadja should require little introduction for fans of drone and ambient influenced metal, the duo of Aidan Baker and Leah Buckareff having now established a fine reputation for their myriad combinations of metal with more formless and atmospheric types of music across a considerably bulky discography. At a first impression, this year's Sonnborner doesn't appear to shake things up too significantly. The half hour opening track is more or less business as usual for the band, with its slowly developed, wall of sound approach of heavy guitar feedback topped off by minimal drumming and Baker's trademark, whispered vocals delivery. Coming off as a little more metallic than usual and also featuring the addition of guest violin and cello players, the piece is dense and carries something of a dark, suspenseful aura while still staying true to the typical Nadja sound.

Sonnborner's colossal opener may be a bit deceptive, however, for the remaining 12 minutes or so that follow it see Nadja transitioning into a much harsher, more riff heavy sound that leaves much of their dreamier ambient personality behind. This isn't totally surprising necessarily, as Nadja flirted with a more noisey, structured delivery previously on the Tangled EP, but whereas that release was very sludge influenced, on Sonnborner the band appear to be looking more at industrial music and even potentially hardcore as an influence. The resulting sound is puzzling but enjoyable, being gritty and more metal influenced while still cloaked in an underlying aesthetic distinct to Nadja. This approach also variates surprisingly well given the small fraction of album time during which it actually appears, with some tracks being faster and more aggressive and others having a more doomy, meditative approach while still not losing any of their weight.

If Sonnborner proves anything, it's that Nadja only continue to refine, expand, and experiment with their sound as time goes on, and quite successfully so at that. While I would certainly like to see tracks here like "Sunwell" and "In The Shadow?" expanded into a longer full length release, even if they remain as one shot attempts they're still powerful testament to this duo's ability to incorporate unexpected influences into their music while not compromising the defining aspects of their sound. For that, if for no other reason, they certainly deserve the praise.

Follow on with the evolution.