Nosferatu A Field of Hope: Two Years of Decline & Decay LP

Imagine if a band worshipped (and studied, or just felt) KORO the way that DISCLOSE was obsessed with DISCHARGE, but in addition to being able to write songs that do justice to all the idiosyncrasies of the 700 Club EP, they also attempted to hypothetically fill in the gaps as to what a few subsequent KORO records might have sounded like if they had expanded on their initial sound (think DIE KREUZEN’s EP to LP transition, for one), but not lost any of what made them vital. I don’t think that’s what NOSFERATU has actively set out to do, and I’m not about to project any mythology here, but it damn sure sounds like it. I believe this LP collects everything not on the Solution A LP, which is not only great to have in one place, but my sole complaint about their Sounds of Hardcore EP was that it was mastered too quietly, and so it’s nice to have it at the volume it deserves. We are lucky to exist at the same time as these manic masters.

• Reviewer Dan Goetz
• Label Neck Chop
• Issue MRR #446 • July 2020