Review: Blackbraid - Nocturnal Womb (2026)

Band: Blackbraid
Album: Nocturnal Womb
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Country: United States of America
Label: Wolf Mountain Productions
Released: 6th March 2026

Introduction

A brand new EP from the Native American atmospheric black metal band arrives less than a year after their third album aptly titled Blackbraid III, an album I really enjoyed a lot and ultimately secured its spot amongst my top albums of 2025.

Three tracks of greatly varying styles await us on this 20 minute long release, so let’s just dive in and go track by track to see what Sgah'gahsowáh has in store for us in this slightly unpredictable and stylistically diverse EP.

Nocturnal Womb

The titular track starts us off with a greatly atmospheric presence and it is a truly phenomenal piece of well drawn out black metal. It’s less Bathory-inspired riff heavy than a lot of other Blackbraid material and the gradual introduction prepares us for an onslaught of a triumphant composition that swells with an almost cinematic atmosphere.

It suffocates you with tremolo guitars and a steady drumbeat creating an immense sonic landscape. The distant and compressed vocals drift through the bleakness like incantations screaming through the storm. This is something really quite special, and just shy of nine minutes long it sits amongst the lengthier Blackbraid tracks which are the ones I generally prefer.

The oppressively lingering ambience of the previous track is sharply contrasted by the thrashing pace of Celestial Bloodlust. Right from the opening drum hit this piece demands you headbang along as it is bursting with relentless riffs and a surge of raw frantic energy that doesn’t give up.

Sgah'gahsowáh’s reverberated vocals yell into the breakneck momentum of instrumentation with pure intensity. A short bridge lets you briefly catch your breath before being thrown full throttle into the ferocious speed of this track that is erupting with a volatile force. A flashy drum fill closes us out and once again we are juxtaposed with something of a vastly different style.

Our final track is an acoustic version of Barefoot Ghost Dance on Blood Soaked Soil, which was the first single Blackbraid ever released back in 2022 ahead of the debut album. The beautiful guitarwork gently unfolds throughout the six and a half minute duration (thirty seconds longer than the original version of the track).

This piece really speaks for itself, with the acoustic guitar work shining with a warm confidence, and whilst it may be a rather simple track to include it is highly evocative and draws in the listener with an understated beauty.

I really want to highlight a part during this composition starting at 03:14 which is wonderfully weaved from the slightly faster picking to the harmonious calmness following which gets accompanied by our acoustic tremolo riffs sans distortion that manage to work without turning into surf rock. 

However I do wonder how this could have done with some vocals, not necessarily harsh growls like a standard black metal affair. I’m thinking it could pair nicely with some clean vocals or even hushed whispers of the paganistic lyrics akin to Saor - Unplugged in Belgium (2019). 

Conclusion

Twenty minutes have passed by in a flash, and the diverse palette of musical styles were expertly blended together into a dynamic and cohesive EP. Ambitious perhaps, but all three tracks are very well crafted sadly leaving me wanting more.

I'll be catching Blackbraid live at Dark Easter Metal Meeting in Munich, Germany, as well as on their UK headlining tour supported by the fantastic Winterfylleth.

BMZ Rating: 7.5 out of 10

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