Nigredo

1. Dead Letter

2. Giftraum

3. Kindrom

4. Reign of Chaos

5. Charma Sleeper

6. Tales of the Silent City

7. Portrait of a Cynic

8. Unmensch

9. Witching Hour

10. Psycho-Logic

11. Krank: Haft

12. Cannibals

13. Mask of Shame

Tracks:

Dead Letter
Giftraum
Kindrom
Reign of Chaos
Charma Sleeper
Tales of the Silent City
Portrait of a Cynic
Unmensch
Witching Hour
Psycho-Logic
Krank: Haft
Cannibals
Mask of Shame

Customer Reviews:

Sweetest Misery .......2005-10-26

Pure emotional genius. Not just this album, but from "One of 18 Angels" on. This is music as it should be. Set aside "style" or "genre". This is pure enlightenment of emotions as the way music should be. Music is meant to make you feel. Different forms of music may cause you to feel in particular ways, but this form causes you to feel just what you are....human. This is pure human experience...a hard thing to really grasp, but once done is the most powerful of experiences. Diary of Dreams is pure musical art.

Powerful, heart wrenching songs.......2005-03-25

This entire album is awesome... the lyrics are especially moving, and very deep. "Reign of Chaos" is one of my favorite tracks. Though it's mostly in English, there is a cross-language pun: "This is my gift to you, this is the poison room." In german, Gift is the word for poison; this use of both languages illustrates the joining of mind and soul, and shows the great care put into each and every note. A beautiful album. And if you like this one, consider DoD's earlier ones. Freak Perfume is also beyond description.

A very good album, but..........2005-02-17

I think that Adrian Hates, the mastermind of Diary of Dreams, is one of the most creative people currently working in the gothic/industrial genre. By fusing terrific Andrew Eldrich-styled vocals with classical keyboard flourishes and electronics, he has created a wholly unique music. Call it electro-goth or classical darkwave, it's a music where Hates has few peers.

Thus, it pains me to give his new album, NIGREDO, a less-than-perfect rating. Maybe it's just that, after the brilliance of his breakthrough album, ONE OF 18 ANGELS, and the even-better follow-up, FREAK PERFUME, my expectations had just been raised too high.

This is by no means a bad album, and certainly ranks highly overall when compared to his other work. All the trademark DOD elements are in place, well-utilised and perfectly produced. Perhaps that's the problem, that the album's too familiar. Many of the songs fit into a well-worn pattern, a soft beginning that turns bombastic (or in the case of "Giftraum," pretty much stays bombastic throughout the song). They don't seem to open up, to take chances, the way the songs on FREAK PERFUME did. And on FP, Hates even traded his Eldritch croak for a smoother, more darkwave-inflected vocal on some songs, to great effect.

So, in all, a very good effort. I'm still waiting for the true follow-up to FREAK PERFUME, but in the meantime, this'll do. Not many artists have stayed their course in this genre as long as Hates has, and made it yield so many rewards.

In the Top 3 of Diary of Dreams' releases..........2005-01-13

When it comes to Diary of Dreams, for me, no album of theirs will ever top "One of 18 Angels" - it's just too well-rounded and brilliant on so many levels. However, this album is definitly one of DOD's best and ranks in the top three along with "Freak Perfume" - I don't know which is better - "Nigredo" or "Freak Perfume."

This music would best be described I believe as "hard melody." It contains a dark, hard side that is evident in both the lyrics and music, yet also exudes a melodic ambience that is more prevalent in some tracks than others. It's 'Depeche Mode' meets 'Nine Inch Nails' by way of 'Massive Attack.'

One For Those Who Dream Of Darkness.......2004-11-22

Adrian Hates and Co. finally return to serenade us into a world where darkness dominates. While less dance oriented than their previous releases, Nigredo proves that the band has lost none of their penchant for the cloudy and mysterious. This review is based on the limited edition release by Accession Records. The US version track listing is the same, but the limited edition has a larger boxed set feel, with a poster and larger art book. The album itself is a more cohesive effort from DOD, relying less on standout tracks and more on a complete package. That being said, here are the tracks the order they appear on the album.

Dead Letter - Good opening track, that gives a great indication of the general flow of the rest of the album. It starts slow, with Adrian whispering amidst ambient synth chords, then builds upon the ambience with a hint of a beat and a simple but effective piano melody. Eventually kicks into full DOD rhythm, complete with driving synths and guitars, and a more forceful beat. Drops back into lassitude at several points, but maintains an overall steady pace.

Giftraum - The first single taken from the album, and the shortest song as well. Club friendly with its momentum, it is a very straightforward track, structured around a repetitive and forceful chorus, coupled with stabbing chords and staccato snare attacks. Definitely fits better on the album than as a stand alone single.

Kindrom - Another club friendly track, and an overall better song than Giftraum. Sneaky synth chords form a short, simple intro, but are quickly subdued by the true nature of this beast. Slightly epic and somewhat defiant, the recurring arrangements and chorus force this track above the average. Probably my favorite song on the album.

Reign Of Chaos - Classic DOD track, structured and performed like many of it's predecessors on previous albums. If you like most of DOD's previous work, you should like this too. Simple one note bassline forms the backbone, paranoid whispers make several appearances, and wavy synth chords permeate this track. Half spoken, half sung vocals complete the package.

Charma Sleeper - Soft piano keys open this relatively relaxed track. More singing from Adrian than on the previous track. The toms, hi-hat, snare, and kick drum take center stage over the sequencers, synthesizers, and samples for a majority of the song, lending it the illusion of urgency. Several ambient and quiet sections add to the kick-back personality.

Tales Of The Silent City - Sporadic bleeps and other synth chords give this song a more stuttering and faltering feel than the previous tracks. Starts out with minimal percussion, softer vocals, and some light piano plinking like most of the songs on this album. Not bad, but not great either.

Portrait Of A Cynic - Piano...again! Although, this time around, it's a real composition that carries the song along. Patented DOD whisper vocals with minor reverb float above the keys, lending a more ethereal and subdued feel. Strings join in for the chorus and the volume kicks up a few notches, before sinking back down to a quiet outro.

UnMensch - Spacey and abrupt, with low, deep muttering mixed with more anguished singing. Doesn't sound much different than Tales Of The Silent City, and could almost be an extension of that song. Fits the tone of the album quite well, but fails to make a strong impression, so ends up being just another typical DOD song.

The Witching Hour - Great title, great echoing intro, and no pianos to be found. Is this still the same album? Seriously, this song is a bit of a departure from the established sound of the album. Rolling synthesizers sequenced to darkwave perfection. Has some minor but very welcome industrial leanings. Slightly distorted vocals on the verse, trademark Adrian on the chorus, and a beat that gets your foot tapping. Different, but that's ok.

Psycho-Logic - Hmmm... Very interesting track. Opens with Adrian whispering the track title, with a bit of strummed guitar thrown in for good measure. Then it kicks into high gear with a pretty standard butt-moving beat, and almost anthemic vocals. The chorus comes at you again and again, but the track fails to truly inspire. Nice to hear the guitar in the background, but this is one track that doesn't really stand out.

Krank: Haft - Somewhat distorted strings and a very common DOD drum loop open this track, and it works well. The second song on the album sung in German, the first being Giftraum. Half whispered, half sung vocals are almost drowned out by the percussion, strings, and synths. This track could have easily fit on Freak Perfume. Enjoyable song overall, and a good choice to start winding the album down with.

Cannibals - Soft piano, and a low, grinding noise greet the listener to this track, before it kicks into a standard DOD piano and drum intro. The vocals are delivered in a little different style, and the song itself has a very relaxed feel. Once the chorus hits, the floating synths really kick in, and the track begins to take a more solid form. Guitars make a small appearance as well, and fit well on the track. Another personal favorite of mine.

Mask Of Shame - Strummed strings on reverb, and soft vocals are on hand to close the album with. A very minimalist approach, until the chorus hits, in which case the volume rises a bit, and a few more synths come into play. No percussion here, just a synth based song to settle the listener gently down with. Definitely a good choise for the album outro.

Overall, not as good or as diverse as their previous albums, Freak Perfume and One Of 18 Angels. Some of the tracks really stand out here, but many just fall into the established DOD repertoire. The hidden track on the end is really just noise, and could have been left off. Less dance oriented than their previous albums, this one will appeal more to late night drivers and those who listen to music while lying in bed.

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