I was going to make an intro joke about Forgotten Tomb being, you know, forgotten, but I realized I did that for their last album. So, there goes my opener. I’m going to move on and pretend for now that my wit has evolved. Hopefully Forgotten Tomb has as well.

Nightfloating is the band’s 11^th or 10^th full length, depending on your opinion. While they have been described as DSBM, they’ve certainly steered more into a black doom direction. It’s not quite Insomnium with black metal rasps, but if you imagine it well, you’re in the right realm.

I enjoy there being no intro on the first track, which is also the title track “Nightfloating.” Just an “Arrggghhh” and then into the melancholy. Tell me the guitar melodies aren’t death doom. It’s sufficiently infectious. The track does get quieter short of 3 minutes in, with a light melody, going back into the doom-death verse riff. The lyrics are in that DSBM realm, though. Great opening track.

“A Chill That You Can’t Taint” is up next and has a similar approach. The production on this album is clean, but hefty, striking a perfect balance, much like Nihilistic Estrangement. After the chorus goes by twice barely 2 minutes into a 7-minute track, there is a brief instrumental section. At this point, I noticed the guitars are mostly clean, yet with a crunch. The solo is solid, leading back into the main riff. Then, another quiet instrumental section with an isolated, clean guitar.

It’s perhaps worth mentioning at this point 6 songs are nearing a 40-minute total runtime, so some have an extensive runtime, especially the closer, god damn it. However, we’re now talking about “Unsafe Spaces.” Keep up. If previously unheard, it may also bear mentioning Ferdinando’s vocal approach is best described as a demon with significant mucus issues. Based on the title alone, it’s easy to tell the subject. I am a huge fan of the track, even though it once again is the same approach. Slightly over 4 minutes in, the crunchy riff sounds as if someone is using a practice amp in front of your face.

The very next track, “Drifting,” is an instrumental, and sticks out like a sore penis. It does however lead to the final track, which, wait for it, is the longest at over 10 minutes. “A Despicable Gift” doesn’t start subtly as one may expect. The despicable gift in this track is clearly your life. Or mine. Probably mine. After the first chorus, a significant instrumental section occurs, then into some blasting. Most of the tracks have a distinguishable chorus or hook, and this one’s no different. Despite it only being two words, it’s effective. I do recommend, if you enjoy the album, to read through the lyrics. There’s a lot more going on here than typical DSBM content. An almost somber solo section gets close to 80s ballad worship. Do not fucking tell these dudes I said that.

I don’t have many complaints. The best track is at the end, the production is excellent, and the songwriting couldn’t be much better. I will admit there are twists and turns in each track, but they are the same twists and turns, so it does get predictable. If you’re a fan of the last few Forgotten Tomb albums, you’ll be one of this. It’s a top-notch release from them again, and I’m still impressed.

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