You get the joke, don’t you? Nattradio boasted that all songs were written and recorded between 1 AM and 5 AM. Hence, also the album cover with the lonely, brightly lit window in the dark shape of the nightly high-rise. The RMR crew will, of course, never know how many night sessions of writing and recording were needed to get to the final product. But the sum of all hours would indeed be The Longest Night on record by earthly standards. It may be different in other planetary systems, though. But, let’s move back to the endless Northern night, shall we?
Whenever yours truly fired up The Longest Night here, the 2025 piece of Soliloquium in cahoots with Katatonia came to mind. Mind you, the pensive moments only, not the harsh metal sometimes on display on both records. After all, we’re looking for the night manager here. And not the loud wailings when all folks are awake and mercilessly lament their fate. And speaking about which, the measured vocals on record forever reminded me of a mix of Katatonia’s Jonas Renske and, surprise, ’90s-era Pink Floyd, led by a younger version of David Gilmour. Floyd’s ’94 record, The Division Bell, was somewhat of a melancholy piece after all.1
And indeed, once Shadow Speaker takes off, you find yourself in doom country. Kinda akin to what My Dying Bride did before they lost their collective minds. At first, you get some pure doom melancholy, which then swiftly morphs into the alternative sphere. Gothic traits soon make their appearance. You know these soundscapes, whispily mimicking undercurrents reminiscent of early Final Coil and a darker form of territories Dawnwalker of years ago already visited. And they do that by ravaging sparsely populated sonic territories. Those imbued with the tasty use of synth, mournful guitar work, and the forever melancholical verses of one Martin Boman.2
Visits to places that synth-laden Psychedelic Rock has already explored, with a juicy excursion into Darkwave – an old friend of mine – kinda round out the picture. To the point where one isn’t too sure if, suddenly, Pink Floyd’s old masters were indeed pulling some strings back in the props. In other words, The Longest Night often feels like a wispy dream, an unreal sense of something meandering about some otherworldly universe where nothing is as it seems. And it does sound like something sleep deprivation would do to you. There goes the whole point, right?
Nattradio are one of these bands mastering the seamless integration of a multitude of styles, moods, and flavors. From melancholy-laden doom, over subtle and subtly executed metal vibrations, to synth-infused excursions, and back to dark-shaded goth territory, these guys never missed a step. The record never sports undue harshness, no breakdowns into brutality or such. Instead, their tune always progresses in measured steps and little bounds. The duo even demonstrated that they’re able to build momentum in a 13-minute behemoth (title track). It takes a lot of skill not to lose the audience in a growing riot of haunted piano, weird strings, and ethereal wailing.
Ultimately, Nattradio (nightradio) created an out-of-the-box experience of the likes, this crew here hasn’t seen too often. The Longest Night contains subtle metallic undercurrents that won’t shy away from painting things in elegant black shades (Shadow Speaker) or meandering deeply into Darkwave territory without losing this audience. And that is quite a feat, to be honest. This whole shebang often feels like sleepwalking about undercurrents of cold water on a wild-goose chase to find some real insomniacs.3 And – somehow – you never find them.
Lastly, let it be said that the RMR crew had a real hard time getting into The Longest Night and enjoying it. The initial rating started somewhere around 3/10 and gradually increased with every listen. The record doesn’t give up its gems easily. But when it does, and you feel the nightly vibe, this piece takes on a life of its own. One of gauzelike fantasies and chimeric hallucinations.
Now, turn off the light and hit play.
Record Rating: 7/10 | Label: Darkness Shall Rise Productions | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 12 December 2025