With the Heavy Metal world branching off into various sub-genres throughout the year, it is hard to keep up to speed on what is what. An impossible task in some regards, there are a few hybrids worth exploring, like Germany’s Nachtblut.
Translating to Nightblood, Nachtblut came together twenty years ago and, in that time, have solidified themselves as a formidable entity. Combining elements of Melodic Black Metal, Gothic Metal, as well as various other elements, at this point, some may call them the prototype for a modern Dark Metal act. Expanding on their sound since the independently released 2007 album Das erste Abendmahl, the band has been on Napalm Records since 2012’s Dogma, and now, in 2025, they look to make their biggest statement with Todschick.
A direct follow-up to 2020’s Vanitas (which hit # 19 on German album charts), Todschick arrives on February 21, 2025, and could very well outdo this success. This time, while exploring more Synthwave elements in the music, Nachtblut boldly added another layer to their sound. The band’s seventh overall studio album, Todshick (which translates to dead chic), has an energy and new sense of melody that should appeal to fans of Melodic Black Metal, Gothic Metal, and more.
Fortified by a consistent lineup of Askeroth on vocals, Ablaz on bass, Skoll on drums, and Grief on guitar since 2017’s Apostasie, it seems with Todshick, they are firing on all cylinders. Explaining this in more depth, the ten songs that make up the record are extremely well-rounded, diverse, and full of interesting little details that make each stand out as a separate piece of work. Gearing up for this new exploration in sound, the band first dropped the danceable title track in December, and one can say it is a perfect mix of textures that could appeal to fans of acts like Deathstars, Gothminister, or Lord of the Lost.
Speaking of Lord of the Lost, it is worth noting that Chris Harms handled production for Todshick, and you can certainly hear the influence. A very good thing is that there are also plenty of other interesting guests featured on this album, including Frank Herzig (Schattenmann), Freki (Varg), Tetzel (Asenblut/All For Metal), Eric Fish (Subway To Sally). Making for a very darkly rich-sounding album, the per-release of also was met with the more beer-swashbuckling “Stirb Langsam,” but “Das Leben der Anderen” that builds from haunting to menacing within moments while tackling the unhealthy mental practice of validating one’s self through social media.
Beyond these three, other massive moments unfold with the symphonic mastery of “Nachtgeweiht” and “Götterstille” (which would delight Dimmu Borgir fans), the blistering riffage matched with relentless vocals on “Kinder Des Zorns” and “Mein Ist Die Hölle” (which you could imagine would make Peter Tägtgren smile). However, amidst all this, you would have to crown “Manchmal Kommen Sie Wieder” as the most absolutely stunning track of the entire collection. Driven by a classic synth sound, the pace is authentic and flawless, and the production is simply perfect. In other words, “Manchmal Kommen Sie Wieder” is a shining example of genre-mashing.
Overall, Todshick is one of the strongest blacked Gothic Metal albums in a long time. It has everything fans of darkened metal are looking for, with enough aggression to feed that desire. That is why Cryptic Rock highly recommends that those beyond Germany check out Nachtblut and dive headfirst into Todshick, giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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