Nail By Nail – Embraced by Darkness

Nail By Nail is howling from Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The band was founded in 2023 by Tobias R. (guitars) and Philipp H. (vocals). Shortly after Noel A. (drums), Lars H. (guitars) and Emmanuel B. (bass) completed the line-up.

Quintet began working on their first full-length in 2024 and finally finished it early in 2025. Convinced by their music and dedication, German-based War Anthem Records joined forces with Nail By Nail to release the album that I’ve been listening for a couple of days now, their six-tracker debut entitled, Embraced by Darkness.

Tracklist:

01. Born in Total War
02. Crooked Nails
03. Cosmic Fire
04. The Frozen Tomb
06. Embraced by Darkness
07. Dagger Nights

Their music is characterized by fast-paced, aggressive riffs, guttural vocals, and a generally dark atmosphere. Most recommended tracks are “Crooked Nails” (listen bellow) and closing “Dagger Knights”, but to be fair, I could have chosen any of the other tracks from Embraced by Darkness as it all sounds coherent, convincing and done with dedication and enthusiasm. The reason why I still picked these two songs is due to their nature and vibe, probably best exemplified in song like “Crooked Nails”, where the mood clearly lives up to the title. It’s so liberatingly angry that it puts you in a really good mood. On the other hand, grand finale “Dagger Nights” has a gothic rock cadence and vibe with some dark guitar overtones and another superb, yet slightly different, vocal tone from band’s vocalist Philipp H. It’s very strong individual cut, which presents quality and maybe indicates that we can expect the expansion of their songwriting for their sophomore album?!

In conclusion; more or less everything on Embraced by Darkness is delivered with the overview and dedication that I sense lies behind this solid album from Nail by Nail. In other words; Embraced by Darkness is very well played and well produced throughout, so that drums, double guitar, bass and not least vocals get their due. Thus the production sounds professional, cover art haunting and melancholic, while the lyrical content deals with themes of darkness, despair, war, pain and the decay of the human condition.

I’m sure Embraced by Darkness, and all of its six lengthy songs, will be a delightful discovery for any lovers of melodic & haunting, yet faced-paced black & death metal. Do not hesitate to give it a chance!

Watch “Crooked Nails” official music video below and visit their bandcamp for further info on this debut six-tracker album from Nail by Nail.