Hailing from the melodic death metal scene from Germany, NERO DOCTRINE, formerly known as DYSTOPIA, released their newest musical endeavor, “Daughter of the Sea,” on September 15th, 2025, following up their first full-length album, “II – Interitus,” back in 2017. The first iteration of NERO DOCTRINE; DYSTOPIA, formed in 2013, and released their promotional demo, “Tools of Oblivion,” a year later, with a slightly different lineup with Thomas Schubert on drums and Henrik Reichheng on guitar. In 2017, their name switched to NERO DOCTRINE, and it has stuck ever since. After the name change, they joined 18 other bands signed to Boersma Records. Vocalist Stefan Rengert is also involved in another German death metal band, BORN IN DISORDER, serving them vocals on their two LPs. NERO DOCTRINE is known for blending delicate, clean guitars, blast-beats, proggy, and lightning-fast guitar solos, and doom metal-esque passages. All elements are blended into a slick and modern sound. This is one of three planned EPs for the band, making it seem like this release is part one of a three-piece puzzle, all dealing with the story of our planet. Puzzle pieces all have to fit together, though, and that all depends on this first part.
Two singles were released leading up to this EP, the first being “Eight Billion Insects,” premiering a sick lyric video on August 12th. And let me tell you, you’re going to need to pay attention to the video, as without it — to the less experienced listener — the words can blend in with the ultra-crisp blast-beats and dreadful atmosphere. The lyrical matter is very relevant, as they discuss our climate, and how we, as humans, are Eight Billion Insects on Earth. The lyrics can be compared to many GOJIRA tracks, as they take a break from blood and gore and move on to more modern problems. The drums are relentlessly insane and don’t stop for a second. Many different vocal styles are present: gutturals, false chords, etc. The vocal gymnastics are seriously impressive. Sound-wise, I can’t even think of contrasting NERO DOCTRINE to any other band, as their sound is so satisfying and unlike others in their scene. The second single, “Of Moon and Waters,” was released with a visualizer on September 8th, and even with a calmer intro, it leaps straight back into the savagery. The clean vocals make their first appearance, and while slightly underwhelming, every other growl and scream solidifies the singer’s immense talent. I literally could not stop air drumming through this entire track. These two select singles were perfect to build the hype for this EP, and set the bar so epically high.
The EP is six songs long, one of them a minute-long interlude, and runs for about half an hour. The opener “The Premonition” is way doomier than the two singles, and a bit longer as well. The drumming takes the progressive black metal route, as the blast beats fill in the background, but leave space for typical prog metal magic work. I can start to draw some more GOJIRA similarities, but that’s a bit of a reach, as their style never stays the same for enough time to solidify my comparison. Speaking of style change, the ambient bass passage and soaring guitar solo halfway through the song really just make everything better, and it fades with some acoustic guitar. The self-titled track holds up and feels more heartfelt and emotional than the others. The clean vocals here are of Gothic metal standards, and the chugging guitars follow suit. After a quick string-laden interlude, the final track “This Piece Is Ours” rolls out, and after a solid minute of calming guitar, we’re back to the delicious vocals from Stefan and the ever-so delightful drum work from Robert. “This Piece Is Ours” has a very melancholy feel to it, as the mellower passages are more frequent, even featuring piano. After that, the EP wraps up, and you’ve just been served NERO DOCTRINES’ newest Magnum Opus, “Daughter of the Sea.”
I find it stunning how NERO DOCTRINE hasn’t already blown up and appeared on every new metal playlist. Everything in the secret book on how to become metal legends has been read, studied, and annotated by the band. If they continue this level of talent on their two upcoming parts, a new household name will be spoken of. If you follow in my footsteps, and you can’t get enough of these guys, their YouTube channel is packed with full live shows and even a two-part documentary on the band’s history. “Daughter of the Sea” is mixed, mastered, and delivered stunningly. Circling back, this is their first of three related releases, and this is the perfect edge piece to their musical puzzle.
Written by Mitchell Connolly
Tracklist
- The Premonition
- Daughter of the Sea
- Eight Billion Insects
- Interlude
- Of Moon and Waters
- This Piece Is Ours
Lineup
Marko Berger – Bass
Cristoph Thiele – Guitars
Stefan Rengert – Vocals
Robert Shehadeh – Drums
Lotti Fust – Guitars
Label
Boersma Records
