Nachtmystium

Nachtmystium
Live at the Hole in the Sky, Bergen Metal Fest 2008
Background information
Origin	Wheaton, Illinois, United States
Genres	Black metal, psychedelic rock
Years active	2000–2014
Labels	Earache Records, Century Media, Candlelight Records, Battle Kommand Records, Southern Lord
Website	Nachtmystium website
Past members	Blake Judd Chris Black Jeff Wilson Sanford Parker

Nachtmystium was an American psychedelic black metal band formed by Blake Judd, formerly known as Azentrius, and Pat McCormick. The band's name is derived from the German word meaning "night", and the made-up term mystium which resembles the Latin adjective . Judd and McCormick combined the words to create the band's name, which they state means "Encompassing Darkness". Nachtmystium released multiple critically praised albums between 2005 and 2012, including Instinct: Decay (2005), Assassins: Black Meddle, Part I (2008), and Silencing Machine (2012). Controversy marred the band's success in 2013, when Judd was arrested for theft charges and publicly admitted he had a severe drug problem. Over their 13-year run, Nachtmystium released seven full-length studio albums and headlined multiple concert tours.

Nachtmystium was originally founded by Blake Judd and Pat McCormick as a side project. The band was heavily influenced by second-wave black metal bands, such as Darkthrone and Burzum, evidenced in their low-fi first release Reign of the Malicious in 2002. The band’s next release, Demise (2004), was described by Judd as Nachtmystium's "last straight forward 'raw black metal' record." The band's following two releases, Eulogy IV (2004) and Instinct: Decay (2006), incorporated psychedelic and experimental musical elements that were pioneered by bands like Black Sabbath, The Doors and Pink Floyd.Instinct: Decay received general positive feedback from critics. DEAF SPARROW Zine praised the album for its innovation, while Decibel Magazine went even further to name Instinct: Decay as the fourth best album of 2006. The band released Assassins: Black Meddle, Part I on June 10, 2008 in America. The album received a generally positive critical reception, especially from Pitchfork Media and MTV's Headbangers Ball, who both stated that it was one of the year's best releases.