If you’ve been following along, you’d know it isn’t exactly news that German black metal is having a bit of a moment. Based in Bavaria and founded as a one-man project by multi-instrumentalist P.G. back in 2016, Groza has emerged, with added members, as a solidified name within those ranks. With their latest release in Nadir, they’ve pushed their own bar significantly higher, offering up one of the year’s stronger black metal albums not only out of that particular region, but across the genre as a whole.

As we begin to explore the depths of Nadir – a term that generally references a lowest point (you’ll find multiple interpretations of the word will feel appropriate when applied to this album) – it’s worth noting that stylistically there isn’t anything particularly inventive that stands out. Instead, what Groza have presented is a form of black metal that is carefully, meticulously crafted, choosing to focus on and build from a few themes that allow it to resonate most effectively both musically and emotionally. The shapes and forms it takes become relatable and familiar, which only furthers the impact of its words and passages with each listen.

At the outset of “Soul: Inert” (and I think it’s important to remember the details of how Nadir opens as we move forward), we’re greeted with somber, airy passages that paint a scene of sorrow and isolation. We’re immediately pulled down with it. This is our origin point for what’s to come, but we don’t stay long. Rising quickly, “Asbest” converts this same energy into one of anger. Those in search of the blistering, freezing black metal that’s filled with unrelenting riffs and percussion, layered beneath constant shouts of pain and anguish, should feel immediately validated. In short order we’ve already been exposed to exactly how intensely dark Nadir can be.

And it only expands from there. The straightforward ferocity of “Dysthymian Dreams” collapses to near silence as if in a state of exhaustion, retreating inwardly with a purposeful pause before this new tension is released with even greater effect in the closing stages. In contrast somewhat, “Equal. Silence. Cold.” introduces a more deliberate, pounding cadence, and it’s here Nadir feels its heaviest. We aren’t provided a similar respite – this is the burden of a more consistent and continuous weight. Yet, as that resolves, with an appreciative nod to the structure of Nadir, the atmospheric quality of Groza’s black metal is fully realized in the final two tracks, changing the course just enough and right when it’s needed most. “Deluge” is simply masterful. An added melodic emphasis overall, the meandering nature of this penultimate track feels elevated, beginning the upward trajectory that carries through the closing “Daffodils”. In this final track, the atmosphere Groza have created becomes even more encompassing, endlessly reaching upward and outward through its final moments. There is still pain, there is still sadness and bitterness. But there is something else now. A need for persistence. The sorrowful passages that opened Nadir transformed into infinite energy, at first impossibly dark and defeated, but then accepting and resilient. A gaze upward, almost in defiance of the inevitable. Per aspera ad astra.

With Nadir, Groza have crafted a form of atmospheric black metal dynamic enough structurally to captivate any audience, while still being appropriately familiar to allow the dense emotional qualities of their craft to truly resonate. They knew the sound they needed and wanted to create, and they delivered it brilliantly. Indeed, the Bavarian project has officially arrived, just in case there was any doubt before, and they’ve brought one of the best black metal albums of the year with them.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb

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Nadir is out September 20 through AOP Records. For more on Groza, follow them on Facebook or Instagram.