{"id":651053,"date":"2026-03-12T20:23:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T20:23:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/651053\/"},"modified":"2026-03-12T20:23:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T20:23:14","slug":"nuctemeron-demonic-sceptre-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/651053\/","title":{"rendered":"Nuctemeron – Demonic Sceptre Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"There\u2019s a big problem with today\u2019s metal scene: There aren\u2019t enough fukkin bands that sound like Nifelheim<\/strong>. Every time I listen to those crazy Swedes, I want MOAR of their scalding black-thrash riffs, MORE of their pummeling blast beats, more of the unhinged ferocity that feels sorely lacking in today\u2019s scene, when it seems like every band needs to have clean vocals and mix at least three genres. While Nifelheim<\/strong> vocalist Hellbutcher did release a very good album<\/a> in 2024 via his eponymous band, his main project\u2019s frantic intensity has gone largely unreplicated. Fortunately, Nuctemeron<\/strong> are here to change that. Over the past decade, this German group has kept the black flame burning with a slew of splits and EPs that bear titles like Beastfuck and Rape from the Grave, all while clad in enough spikes and leather to make them the favorite customers of their local BDSM shop. With their debut album, Demonic Sceptre, the group has continued following Nifelheim<\/strong>\u2019s burning warpath, unleashing a barrage of frenetic riffs, scathing vocals, and battering rhythms that would make those Swedes proud.<\/p>\n

Yet at the same time, calling Nuctemeron<\/strong> mere Nifelheim<\/strong> clones is hardly accurate. Perhaps most notably, the band\u2019s aptly-named bassist and vocalist, \u201cLunatic Aggressor,\u201d avoids mimicking Hellbutcher\u2019s manic rasp by instead delivering a larynx-shredding shriek that somehow turns songs like \u201cBurn My Skin to Leather\u201d into singalong anthems. And, as hinted at by the cover art\u2019s apparent homage to Destruction<\/strong>\u2019s Eternal Devastation, the music here shows that these Germans have heard plenty of thrashy bands besides Hellbutcher and Co. Take the instrumental opener, \u201cFresh Blood for the 13th Coffin,\u201d which is an ambient synth piece with vaguely medieval vibes that recall Desaster<\/strong>. Said influence continues with the Hellfire\u2018s Dominion-style guitar melodies that open the first proper track, \u201cThe Bat,\u201d before the slicing verses began slashing into your neck like a sharpened scythe. Likewise, \u201cUnder Devil\u2019s Command\u201d features a terrific, olde school main riff that evokes the glory days of 80s speed metal, while the harmonized guitars of that song\u2019s bridge serve as a saccharine throwback to metal\u2019s golden age.<\/p>\n

Demonic Sceptre by Nuctemeron<\/a><\/p>\n

That said, it\u2019s clear that Nifelheim<\/strong> is a massive influence here. And fortunately, Nuctemeron <\/strong>absolutely nail that band\u2019s sound with a slew of the wildest black-thrash cuts I\u2019ve heard in a long time. Early highlight \u201cAfter Violent Storm\u201d basically functions as a complementary vasectomy, as the ricocheting guitar line in that song\u2019s refrain is hot enough to turn whatever genitals you have into something that looks like a charred pork rind. \u201cFuck Off!!! (In the Name of Evil)\u201d uses Nifelheim<\/strong>\u2019s infamous two-word mantra as the basis to unleash a shitstorm of bouncy, frantic guitars that culminates with the sound of a skipping record repeating that titular proclamation over and over. Later, the aforementioned \u201cBurn My Skin to Leather\u201d sounds like a lost cut from Servants of Darkness with its squealing guitar lines, while \u201cMetallic Thunder\u201d uses a rapid, tapping guitar line to great effect.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

My only real criticism here is that some of the songs repeat their main riffs a bit too much, but that feels like a minor quibble in light of the sheer inspiration on display. The aforementioned \u201cLunatic Aggressor\u201d shrieks his head off like a banshee the whole time, and the way he pronounces his V\u2019s as W\u2019s is positively endearing. Guitarist \u201cExterminator\u201d unleashes riff after riff of pure maniacal energy, and his searing, fast solos are a perfect complement to the band\u2019s relentless nature. As shown on the closing track, \u201cBrandish the Hammer of Hell,\u201d the group also aren\u2019t afraid to mix things up, as the song concludes with crooning clean vocals that mimic a melodic guitar line. The production is also great, sounding raw and powerful while remaining clear and retaining plenty of dynamic range.<\/p>\n

Demonic Sceptre is exactly what your psychotic inner black-thrash fan has been craving. This is the first group I\u2019ve heard that truly embodies Nifelheim<\/strong>\u2019s unhinged, frantic style, and yet they mix things up just enough to avoid being a mere worship act. What\u2019s more, the band constantly exude a sense of furious inspiration, yet for how extreme they are, their songs sure are fukkin catchy. For me and anyone else bold enough to brave the group\u2019s scorching fury, Nuctemeron<\/strong>\u2019s debut may just be the best black-thrash record we hear this year.<\/p>\n

Rating<\/strong>: 4.0\/5.0
DR:<\/strong> 9 | Format Reviewed:<\/strong> 320 kbps
Label:<\/strong> I Hate Records<\/a>
Websites:<\/strong> nuctemeron-blackspeedhell.bandcamp.com<\/a> | facebook.com\/blackspeedhell<\/a>
Releases Worldwide:<\/strong> March 13th, 2026<\/p>\n

\n\tGive in to Your Anger:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There\u2019s a big problem with today\u2019s metal scene: There aren\u2019t enough fukkin bands that sound like Nifelheim. Every…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":651054,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[29],"tags":[12086,18520,23635,276420,276421,7922,171,87809,276422,270528,975,55689,276423,2290,11853,169951,23686,67,132,68],"class_list":["post-651053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-12086","tag-4-0","tag-black-metal","tag-demonic-sceptre","tag-desaster","tag-destruction","tag-entertainment","tag-german-metal","tag-i-hate-records","tag-mar26","tag-music","tag-nifelheim","tag-nuctemeron","tag-review","tag-reviews","tag-speed-metal","tag-thrash-metal","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116218075943293414","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651053","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=651053"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651053\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/651054"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=651053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=651053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=651053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}