Odal

Odal - ...wilde Kraft
Christhunt Productions, 2005
Genre: Black Metal

1. Einklang
2. ...wilde Kraft entfesselt
3. Aus hassgeschwellter Brust
4. Der Worte Gewalt
5. Die Rast unter der Eiche
6. Flammendes Schwert
7. Un frei zu sein Pt. II
8. Gabe der Vollkommenheit
9. Ausklang (Das Siegeslied)







It seems like Odal has quite a discography already, but "...wilde Kraft" is only their second full-length. Odal's material has been on a fairly steady rise as far as I'm concerned and this absolutely blows the debut out of the water.

It seems writing and arranging on all those other EP's and Splits has truly paid off because it has given rise to an excellent Black Metal album in the guise of "...wilde Kraft". There isn't a single bad song here and all the riffing follows a primary path of triumphant riffing. It has that ever present style, but for some reason I want to say it reminds me a bit of what you would think Moonblood would do next. On that note, it's probably more similar to Nachtfalke then, only far more Black Metal. Which is probably why I really love this album. The album is split by "Die Rast undter der Eiche" which is a nice acoustic interlude and reminded me of Dissection, more because Dissection did that on their early albums, not because it sounded similar. The songwriting changes up a bit with "Un frei zu sein Pt. II", which sounds quite different from the rest of the album. It's much darker and stands out amidst the other songs because of it. It's also strange in the sense that it claims to be a "Part 2", but there is no "Part 1" in the rest of Odal's entire discography. Maybe Taaken is still sorting it out...

In any event, the prior Odal releases have all culminated into this excellent album. So, if you're a fan of those triumphant German riffs then this Odal album gives them to you in one solid album. If you're looking for a place to start delving into Odal, then this is the album to check out at the very least. It's absolutely wonderful music. The tough part is going to be building the band from here... this will be a tough album to follow.

Branstock/Cultus/Odal/ Deathgate Arkanum Split
Heidens Hart, 2004
Genre: Black Metal

Branstock:
1. Donars Zorn
2. Folgend den Spuren
Cultus:
3. Tragwldia
Odal:
4. Des Wodans Zorn
Deathgate Arkanum:
5. Jenseits der Tore






Side Branstock: ...probably never, didn't like this...
Side Cultus: ...coming eventually...
Side Deathgate Arkanum: ...coming eventually...
Side Odal:

I've never heard of any of the other projects on this split and Odal was the only reason I picked this up. Branstock seems to be some crappy Nationalist stuff that usually sounds bad. Some of the other projects seem okay, but nothing really stands out and Odal stands as the best project on this split in my opinion. This material is pressed on 10" vinyl and limited to 500 copies.

The Odal material is pretty good. Taaken has more guitar layering happening and there are sections with a sort of chanted vocal part that works very well within his music. The interesting part is it looks like the liner notes say the song is from 2002. If that's the case I'm surprised it was never released, because it's a pretty good song.

In the end this split is probably worth skipping. One good song from Odal is not worth the shipping of an entire 10" vinyl as far as I'm concerned, especially overseas.

Odal & Surturs Lohe Split
Christhunt Productions, 2004
Genre: Black Metal

Odal:
1. ...und auf Erden tobt die Schlacht...
Surturs Lohe:
2. Enter the Fields of Clear Blue Sky











Side Surturs Lohe: ...coming eventually...
Side Odal:

Odal have been delving into the split release track and for their second split they team up with another great German band Surturs Lohe. This is pressed on 7" vinyl and limited to 500 hand-numbered copies, of which I own #97.

The Odal contribution to this split is nothing new for that project. If you've been following Odal thus far you sort of know what to expect from their traditional form of German Black Metal. This isn't far enough removed from the prior split and the new song can easily fit within the framework of the last EP. Taaken is definitely on a strong writing stint and I've enjoyed nearly everything he's done on the past few releases.

Odal - Einst verehrt von allen
Christhunt Productions, 2003
Genre: Black Metal

1. Einst verehrt von allen
2. Thüringland in eisiger Kälte
3. ...durchwandernd die Heimat
4. Germansk












Taaken seems to be constantly writing new material and they refuse to wait and release it in with a full-length, so with the success of "Sturmes Brut" Odal have hooked up with legendary German label Christhunt Productions to release their new EP. I believe this was first released as a split with Raven's Empire on 12" vinyl. However, these separate CD versions were also released in the same year and on here we get all three new songs and a re-recording of the demo song "Germansk" as a bonus.

The EP opens with "Einst verehrt von allen" and what an awesome song. It immediately hooked me in with some really killer riffing. This holds up quite well throughout the song and it's one of the most ear catching Odal songs written so far. "Thüringland in eisiger Kälte" is quite different and it's not nearly as exciting sounding, but it is very melancholic. The third new song brings us back closer to the first song with it's overall catchiness. I really like this form of Taaken's writing and it seems quite a step forward from the earlier material. This EP does a decent job of wanting me to hear more in this style and I definitely look forward to what Odal will produce in the future, because they keep getting progressively better with each new release.

Odal - Sturmes Brut
Darkland Records, 2002
Genre: Black Metal

1. Einklang
2. Traum von Finsternis
3. War
4. A New Beginning
5. Shadows of Doom
6. Sturmes Brut
7. Ausklang









After two EP's and a demo Odal finally hit us with their debut full-length "Sturmes Brut". Now there are multiple editions of this release and the first and second pressings had no bass guitar on them, you don't get much more tried and true Black Metal than that! However, in 2009 Taaken returned to this release and had Naudhiz step in and record bass lines onto the original recordings. I happened to be late to discovering Odal and I have the 2009 edition, with bass.

Odal's songwriting has changed fairly dramatically from the demo and the first two EP's. Don't worry, those elements are still ever present in their music, but they've definitely varied up their riffing a little bit more. A new drummer has joined the project and I think that has opened up things for a more varied writing approach. With the addition of Grroll behind the kit it's allowed Taaken to write more complex material and really vary up the feel of his songs. Musically this is right in line with where German Black Metal influenced by the likes of Moonblood, Darkthrone, or Arckanum would wind up progressing into it. "Sturmes Brut" is just an amalgamation of classic sounding Black Metal and it maintains that raw recording feel.

So, if you like that harsh and cold feel of Black Metal then this debut from Odal is everything you've wanted out of an early 2000's release. The songs are well written and enjoyable even if the riffing is nothing new for us veterans of the scene. The cold atmosphere is enough to keep me listening. And while I may not pull this album out on the regular, I'll enjoy it when I realize I haven't listened to this in a very long time.

Odal - Fimbul Winter
Sombre Records, 2002
Genre: Black Metal

1. Warriors of the Night
2. Fimbul Winter














Right after their "Germansk" demo Odal immediately turned to making 7" releases. Unfortunately, I missed out on getting an original press of the "Traitor" 7", so we're skipping right to the "Fimbul Winter" release. Maybe I'll fill in the release gap some other day. "Fimbul Winter" was released by the legendary Sombre Records and its listed as being to limited to 350 copies, but there is no numbering on the release.

"Fimbul Winter" continues with where "Traitor" left off. They had already lengthening their songs on the "Traitor" EP and that continues here with "Fimbul Winter", which is a massive improvement over the "Germansk" demo. Hearing the material in a more well mixed environment is far more enjoyable as well. The material is still recorded in that mostly raw Black Metal fashion, but it's not too different from the early German and Norwegian recording quality of the early 90's. The riffing is fairly similar to a blend of that late 90's German style and early 90's Scandinavian feel. Some may find the riffing overly redundant to these time frames and since Odal is using a traditional recording style, this is really bringing nothing new to the table. However, with the extended song length Odal manages to have a more expansive feel than their demo, which is really what these riffs needed.

If you're a fan of that traditional German Black Metal style then Odal is a band worth checking out for sure. I really like their overall sound and, even though this nothing new, I definitely enjoyed listening to these two songs. It will be nice when this band is ready to put out a full-length.

Odal - Germansk
Self-Released, 2000
Genre: Black Metal

1. Intro
2. Das Ende
3. Musik der Schlacht
4. Germansk
5. Transilvanian Hunger (Darkthrone cover)
6. Outro










Odal hail out of German and they play a blend of that Pagan/Black Metal style. Where it feels like they recast some of the old Folk styles with distortion and tremolo picking. "Germansk" is a short fifteen minute demo with three original songs and one cover. Basically, the gold standard format for a Black Metal demo. The tape comes as a xeroxed cover with just a dubbed cassette, there is no hand-numbering.

The original songs are short and sweet and clock in under three minutes each. They definitely could have doubled the length of these songs for a more droning atmospheric feel, but all the songs meander around a couple riff ideas, which is why the band probably kept the material so short. The material is ultra simple and lands somewhere in the realms of Darkthrone meets Arckanum to some degree. The drumming is ultra simple and there isn't even much in the way of blasting through these riffs, rather keeping a simple rock beat, which gives everything a bit of a different feel from the norm. The most blast beats certainly show up with their cover of "Transilvanian Hunger", which is also the longest song on this demo, strangely enough. Either way they did a pretty good job on this, regardless of how poorly recorded it may be.

Odal sounds like a band that I could get into from this original demo. Their original riffs are pretty good and as they grow as a band I could definitely see them putting out some much stronger material. As usual with demo's, I usually recommend people skip out on them unless they're really interested in where a band came from. "Germansk" isn't exactly going to be tearing up the demo scene, but it's a good first effort and I'll be interested to hear where they land in a studio setting.

Apolokia

Apolokia & Inferno Split
Sombre Records, 2003
Genre: Black Metal

Apolokia:
1. Acherontis Avari
Inferno:
2. Hrdi a silni
3. Sjednoceni viron











Side Inferno: here
Side Apolokia:

It's been a couple years since we've heard from Apolokia and their latest movement comes two years after their last split with Dark Storm. As before this is a Sombre Records release, this time on 7" and limited to 500 copies. I don't see any hand-numbering on my copy, so I guess they didn't hand number all their releases.

This material came out about the same time as Katharsis' "Kruzifixxion" album, so the material isn't too far off from there. As I mentioned in the last review this project is closely related, however it isn't nearly as chaotic. "Kruzifixxion" is one of Katharsis' most chaotic efforts, so this Apolokia song stands pretty far removed from that. Which works out well because even though it has that Katharsis tone, it doesn't have that Katharsis atmosphere, so it's nice to hear a whole new spin on this.

Unfortunately, this is the last we heard from the project. Perhaps the two members couldn't find the time to work together, or M.K. just decided to focus more on Katharsis. Either way, this project has been put to rest and it's kind of a shame we never got a proper full-length out of it, because the music was pretty good.

Apolokia & Dark Storm Split
Sombre Records, 2001
Genre: Black Metal

Apolokia: In Ceremonial Circles
1. Infinite Warscream
2. Cemetary Shrines
3. Thy Eye and Claw of Evil
4. In Ceremonial Circles
Dark Storm: Kult Satan
5. Kult Satan
6. Infernal Desecration
7. Eternal Flame of Hell
8. Thy Unholy Light
9. In the Sign of Blasphemy




Side Dark Storm: here
Side Apolokia:

Being a fairly big Katharsis fan I somehow missed out on Apolokia and instead I got into them through the bands they did splits with. Their first 4-way split that came out before this one is something I'm missing, but someday I might track it down. Their original demo tape, I'm not so optimistic about, so my reviews really begin here. While I was reviewing Dark Storm these tracks happened to come on and I was really into them, so here we are. This is a 12" LP and is limited to 350 copies.

Basically, if you like Katharsis you will certainly enjoy Apolokia as the projects are quite similar. Apolokia is M.K. on guitar and drums with vocalist/bassist Azazel. I didn't realize M.K. also played guitar, but in Katharsis I think all he plays is drums. Either way, the Katharsis style is certainly strong in his writing style and you can hear that from the very start of "Infinite Warscream". The major difference is that his music doesn't seem as intensely chaotic as Katharsis usually is. So, it's not exactly a Katharsis clone, it just sounds quite similar. I'm sure they're recorded in the same Katharsis studio, which gives the production quality the exact same treatment, which works very well for this material. The only major off-putting aspect is that sometimes the material feels pretty messy in it's writing and performance. As if the songs weren't practiced very often, but just enough to do a recording. Despite that the material is still good with slightly less chaotic styled Katharsis riffing and generates that awesomely hateful atmosphere the project is known for. So, if you're a Katharsis fan you should also become a fan of Apolokia!

Sarrgh

Sarrgh - Black Hate and Doom
Christhunt Productions, 2005
Genre: Black Metal

1. The Last Northern Warrior
2. The Path of Despair
3. Ancient Sky
4. Black Hate and Doom
5. Cold Winds of Grimly Forest
6. Die Kalte Klinge
7. Satanischer Zorn
8. Salute to Christ








I ran across this release when I was looking at Maniac Butcher's page and found that Vlad played bass in this project. Naturally, I missed out on this release when it first came out and didn't delve into it until 2018. It truly is hard to get all the releases out there when they're first released, but I tracked this down and got the copy recently. This CD is limited to 666 copies, but I'm sure there are many still floating around since this release didn't exactly tear through the scene as a must have.

As you can imagine this is Black Metal of the raw variety, it truly has that early 90's production, but it's made well enough to hear everything. The mixing is a bit suspect and the cymbals sound weird at times. The vocals are probably the worst part of this album, they're really blown out and don't sound very good at all. Other than that, musically, this reminds me a lot of the German material that was coming out in the late 90's, but with some more Heavy Metal moments thrown in more in line with Darkthrone's combination. It's more than just sawing away at a guitar for five minutes on every song, so in that regard Sarrgh is a bit more interesting to listen to. However, as far as a debut release goes, the material isn't that bad and the songs capture that cold ancient atmosphere from the early era of Black Metal.

I would never say Sarrgh is a must have and you rush out and buy it right away, but it is a cool little release that does a good job of paying homage to bygone era. If Sarrgh had continued to release material I do wonder if this project would have improved a lot, since bands that start like this tend to improve their writing a lot more as they continue on. Unfortunately after this they only released a 7" that I have yet to track down and we haven't heard from the band since.

Trist (Ger)

Trist - Willenskraft
Cold Dimension, 2009
Genre: Dark Ambient/Black Metal

1. Bewusstsein
2. Wagemut
3. Zweifel
4. Herzenswunsch
5. Verhinderer
6. Wandlung









Here it is, the final installment of Trist before putting the project to rest. This time returning to Cold Dimension for the release and put out in the usual digipak format to match up with the others. There's no booklet and no limitation listed, but this is certainly limited in some capacity.

This seems to follow an alternating format of Ambient track then Black Metal track. This album is a little disappointing in this regard, because it seems like it would be a favorite of mine, but it's really not. The Ambient parts of this album are even more lackluster than "Initiation". That strong dark and horror vibe from "Fort" is not developed here, in fact it's not even present. I feel like Tristan was trying to make something more majestic than horrifying. The Ambient tracks all sound the same and they're basically a sample of ocean waves crashing on the shore. Again, this would make for great intro/outro filler between Black Metal tracks, but they're full on songs, so its a solid eight minutes of this. The first song with Black Metal in it, "Wagemut" sounds like a one riff Lunar Aurora song. There might be vocals, its hard to tell if they are samples or screaming by Tristan because its so far in the background. This time around though the balance between the guitars and drums is much more balanced. By the time the second Black Metal song shows up, "Herzenswunsch", I'm convinced that these are just riffs from Lunar Aurora's "Andacht". In fact, a lot of the metal parts feel like they are off that specific album. Tristan started composing this album shortly after "Andacht" was released, so maybe he got really obsessed with that format. "Andacht" also features a lot of crashing waves and while this worked wonderfully for Lunar Aurora it really doesn't work on Trist.

Unfortunatley, it seems "Willenskraft" doesn't end on much of a high note, because I'll just be listening to Lunar Aurora's "Andacht" instead as it is a far better album for my tastes. Sadly it stands that Trist's best release was "Hin-Fort" and it seems to be a one time thing. Perhaps the similarities in "Andacht" brought this project to a close as there was way too much overlap of the projects, but who knows, perhaps Tristan just lost the inspiration to try and compose this kind of material. It takes a great amount of patience to listen to this material and I can only imagine it demanded even more to compose.

Trist - Initiation
Kunsthall Produktionen, 2008
Genre: Dark Ambient

1. In die schwarze nacht
2. Toter raum
3. Kalt
4. Nirgendwo
5. Schatten
6. Darunter
7. Traurige geister
8. Hindurch
9. Fragmente





After the success of "Hin-Fort" it seems there was some demand for the earliest Trist experimentations. Here we have "Initiation" which is Ambient recordings made between 2000 and 2003 before the first album was released. You could consider this the Ambient demo that had yet to be officially released. Trist returns to Kunsthall for this release and like the debut it is limited to 500 hand-numbered copies, of which I own #302.

While I wasn't a major fan of the debut, you can imagine that "Initiation" has sort of the same response from me. If you're really into drone ambient then you may find this release extremely appealing. For me, this was before his Dark Ambient really improved on releases like "Hin-Fort". I can see why he wouldn't want to release this material as the first thing to put out there. It's not outright terrible or anything, but it just lacks some of the substance I usually prefer in Ambient releases. The atmospheres aren't as rich as some of the more stand out artists of the genre. I mainly feel like this material would serve as a great backdrop for black metal, such as the "Hin" section of the previous release, but as a stand alone release the material isn't that compelling.

If you are curious about the project and want to see the first experiments in Ambient for Tristan then this will be a novel journey to take. It's not as reach or dark as his later work, but you can see how he developed the project over the years.

Trist - Hin-Fort
Cold Dimensions, 2006
Genre: Ambient Black Metal

Disc 1: Hin:
1. Hin

Disc 2: Fort:
1. (Keine) Angst
2. Unterdenwolken
3. Hilfe
4. Schlaflos
5. Lichtausi
6. Nachtflug
7. Fort



It's been a while since we heard from Trist and they return with quite the release in this double CD format. I think Trist's original concept was to be an Ambient side project, as is usual for a lot of metal musicians, but based on this release I guess Tristan just couldn't keep away from the Black Metal. This album comes as a 2CD digipak with a fairly limited layout, but that's probably because they had to press two CD's. It's minimalistic art wise and fits the whole Trist atmosphere pretty well as usual.

The first disc is a single song lasting exactly one hour, which is fairly impressive in its own right. "Hin" is straight up Atmospheric Black Metal similar to Paysage d'Hiver, only they take us to task with the droning guitar work. The material has less variation than a Paysage d'Hiver song, but Trist is going more for a droning Ambient motif, so in this regard the track succeeds. It's extremely hypnotic and flowing, you can barely make out the riff changes as all the guitar parts are very similar. But, again, this works out brilliantly as casting Ambient music in terms of Black Metal. There's also a long monologue from someone talking about really weird space stuff and how they are space, it really works in the track, but it was still really strange. For me "Hin" worked out pretty well, however, it doesn't have the same kind of replay value as a Paysage d'Hiver song, it's probably too droning and meditative to really warrant repeat listens. It doesn't capture you the same way a Paysage d'Hiver riff does. The other slight problem with the track was how far away the drums were in the mix, but I'm pretty used to that with this type of music, Paysage d'Hiver has similar issues on their recordings. The guitars create this huge wall of sound that just dominates the audio spectrum, but that's also kind of the point.

"Fort" on the other hand is straight up Dark Ambient. I think Tristan's original concept behind the project caught up with him and he wanted to do another type of Ambient release. As with "Tiefenrausch" it bears resemblance to Atrium Carceri a lot and this Ambient goes more for a Horror type of droning feel. Coupled with the samples from all the horror movies throughout the disc you can see where this idea is coming from. I did find it amusing to hear a sample from the movie Boogeyman in "Nachtflug". I've seen some of the movies sampled, but not all of them, since I'm not a big horror movie buff. I just thought it was funny to hear Boogeyman show up, because it seemed like such a stupid movie, but the samples Tristan took actually work pretty expertly in the moments of this Ambient. I will say the Ambient journey of "Fort" is definitely a step up compared to "Tiefenrausch".

In the end if you're obsessed with the droning sounds of terror this is a must listen. You'll enjoy both sides of this release for sure. It maybe not have a huge amount of replay value, but it is exceptional at creating that mood and atmosphere it is designed for. There are very few releases out there like this as far as I can tell, at least in terms of the breadth and scope of the droning atmospheres, which is why "Hin-Fort" is probably a very highly sought after release. Very few releases do as good a job at generating this type of atmosphere as well.

Trist - Tiefenrausch (Ein Abstieg in 5 Stufen)
Kunsthall Produktionen, 2003
Genre: Dark Ambient

1. Wintermondlicht
2. Geräum
3. Kraftfeld
4. Novembernebel
5. Tiefenrausch










One of the things that attracted me to this project, aside from the fact that it is entirely done by a member of Lunar Aurora, is the fact that Kunsthall Produktionen put this out. If it's good enough for Wintherr, then it's probably more than good enough for me. As usual with Kunsthall the packaging is beautifully done with a very nicely made digipak that has art that really exemplifies the atmosphere of this project. The release is also limited to 500 hand-numbered copies and I own #210... I think... it might be #216 it's hard to tell.

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this release at first. I had a vague idea, because I had seen comparisons to Paysage d'Hiver and Darkspace... although Darkspace put out their demo not too long before this was released, so Paysage d'Hiver is probably a far more apt reference. I guess I was expecting there to be Black Metal, but there is none. It's just Dark Ambient with most of the songs clocking in at over sixteen minutes. Now it's good ambient, don't get me wrong. It's very dark and very ominous. It also has this quality to it that makes it feel rather spacey. You can hear some clear Atrium Carceri influence in a lot of the recordings. However, I feel the Atrium Carceri is a far more exciting Ambient project compared to Trist. Trist seems to focus primarily on drones and creating a sort of hypnotic state. This isn't all that different compared to the type of ambient Paysage d'Hiver attempts to put out, except that I feel Trist has a darker sort of cosmic feel to it. Perhaps similar to the more droning Darkspace aspects, but Darkspace is really just using it as a backdrop for their music, whereas in Trist's case it is the music. The only major variations that show up is during the spoken word sections, which appear in every song. But it's rather sporadic, so it doesn't interrupt that meditative or droning flow of the music that much.

The fact that I saw this being advertised amidst Metal projects is a bit confusing, since this appears to be an Ambient side project of a Lunar Aurora member. This is a very common thing in Black Metal since Fenriz had Neptune Towers, Satyr had Wongraven, Ihsahn turned Thou Shalt Suffer into one and there are many more. Aran's Ambient side project is no different really, so it really depends on what you expect going into this project. If you were expecting Black Metal on par with Paysage d'Hiver you will be sorely disappointed. I confess, I was a little disappointed, I would have preferred to know this album was entirely Ambient up front, because then I just spend all my time waiting for the moment when the Metal kicks in and it never arrives... so, if you're not a fan of droning Dark Ambient that doesn't really go anywhere and instead puts you in a meditative state, then you should steer clear of this release. However, if you're an Ambient fan like many of the Black Metal listeners out there, then this might be something worth checking out. Personally, I think I have far better Ambient from the straight up Ambient artists. I will say Trist is quite a bit better than the Ambient tracks found on Paysage d'Hiver, but, to me, Ambient is not Paysage d'Hiver's strong suit, so at least Trist is more successful in that regard for me.

Graupel

Graupel - Am Pranger...
Ván, 2010
Genre: Black Metal

1. Daemonicum
2. Das Blutende Mal
3. Schwarze Feder
4. Herkünfte Schatten
5. Kalte Fessel
6. Ekel
7. Entgeistert (Outro)







Graupel may not release music very often, but when they do it is always an excellent event. Here we have a new full-length from the band and it is by far one of the best album released in that year. This time they put the album out on Ván and they've done wonderful things with the packaging. This comes with a really beautiful slipcase and a booklet printed on extremely heavy paper with an excellent design layout that fits the aesthetics of this album perfectly.

"Am Pranger..." is an excellent follow-up to "Auf Alten Wegen...", it really advances the sound and ideas brought forth on that album. We have everything we loved about the debut, the vicious intensity, the atmospheric moments and the wonderfully catchy riffs that somehow work amidst Black Metal this violent sounding. Production wise I think they took a step back a little to make things more organic and raw, which is perfect. The production is closest to the split with Endstille and it's really the perfect production for a band like Graupel. Zingultus went all out on the vocals this time around and we have a lot of varied moments from him. This album really showcases his range as a vocalist and it's great because a lot of Black Metal vocals tend to be rather monotonous. I wonder if this vocal performance really solidified the idea of him taking over as Endstille's frontman when Iblis stepped down. I think everyone will be interested to note how "Herkünfte Schatten" opens and remember to compare it to an early Old Man's Child song found on either "In the Shades of Life" or "Born of the Flickering"... I swear it's almost the exact same thing! Granted Graupel change things up a lot and it's really just the opening riff that sounds similar to Old Man's Child, but pretty cool homage either way. The only kind of weird thing is the over seven minute ambient outro. It fits, but, frankly, I'd rather have another song from the band.

In the end this is one of the better Black Metal albums out there of this style. Graupel do an excellent job of putting a lot of pieces together that you wouldn't think fit that well together and make it work extremely well. Graupel releases new music very rarely, so we'll probably have a long wait if we hear from this project again... however, based on the past efforts I think it's going to be worth the wait.

Graupel & Endstille - Lauschangriff...
Pranger Produktionen/Nordische Stahlwerke, 2006
Genre: Black Metal

Graupel:
1. Im Hause Escharra
2. Blutvoyeurisus
3. Westradikal
Endstille:
4. Battles Against the North
5. Your Love is Infectious
6. To Conquer the Sun






Side Endstille: here
Side Graupel:

This split is probably one of the best splits in my entire collection. A lot of splits I buy because I like one of the bands and then the other band is something I've never heard of and it's not very good. Splits like this one are a different story though, this is the collaboration of two really excellent projects. So, naturally, as soon as I saw this announced, I immediately ordered a copy for myself. This split is on 12" vinyl only and limited to 500 hand-numbered copies, which I own #401.

After a fairly intense debut album from Graupel, this split continues very nicely where the album leaves off. I think the tracks are a little more raw than even the album recording and they actually sound a lot more similar to Endstille's style of production. It was surprising to have "Im Hause Escharra" start off with a very slow styled guitar line, but before long the song picks up and we're back at what Graupel does best, in my opinion anyway. The Graupel tracks march a long at a blistering pace and they have that vicious intensity I've come to expect from the project. They really worked on songs with no frills for this split, so that when the Endstille side begins it feels like the projects fit together quite nicely. This is not something we usually get with splits, usually one side sounds vastly different from the other, but in this case it feels like a more cohesive album and I really appreciate that. So, if you're a fan of both of these projects and are in the mood for some intense Black Metal, then this split will not steer you wrong! Great work from both projects.

Graupel - Auf alten Wegen...
Cold Dimensions, 2005
Genre: Black Metal

1. Heimkehr
2. Saat Zieht Zeit
3. Die Notglocke
4. Der alte Weg
5. Requies Filii
6. Soll und Sein
7. Von der Gunst zur Schelte
8. Glück der Söhne
9. Ein Sterbelied auf Metall
10. Blutend Weiß






Here we finally arrive at the debut full-length from this project. I think this is actually the first thing I heard from the band and the main reason I picked this up was because everything Cold Dimension puts out is good, so I figured this would be no exception. In that regard it certainly wasn't and ever since I got this album when it was originally released I've continued to enjoy listening to it. Graupel is a band that manages to get a fair amount of frequent play form me even decades later!

The debut is pretty much everything I wanted a studio recording of Graupel to sound like after hearing the first two releases. This album is extremely well done, because they've managed to strike a really excellent balance between intensity and atmosphere. The album manages to maintain that intense and violent performance we heard on the earlier Graupel recordings, but they've also infused some level of really dark atmosphere into the mix. This means we don't get an entire blast fest for an album, but instead a very dynamic listen as the moods shift between extremely violent to really somber with songs like "Requies Filii". Even amidst the intensity they still have some extremely catchy riffing that really pulls the listener in wanting us to hear this stuff over and over again. The only sad part about the release is their bassist Gruel has left the project. I don't know what it was about his bass setup, but it really managed to cut through the mix and make everything sound so much heavier and more intense.

So if you're looking for an intoxicating and intense listen, this is an excellent album to delve into. There really isn't a single bad song on here and the production is pretty well done. It doesn't feel noisy or overly raw, you can hear everything pretty well in the mix too. The album still manages to maintain that real instrument organic feel as well, so its a really well done release overall.

Encomium & Graupel Split
Westwall Produktion, 2004
Genre: Black Metal

Encomium:
1. Ashes of a Thousand Years
2. To Burn the Temple of Moral
Graupel:
3. Weiß wie Schnee
4. Seelenkampf










Side Encomium: ...coming eventually...
Side Graupel:

The next release under the Graupel name is a split 7" with Encomium. Apparently this was originally supposed to be released by Sombre Records, but they never managed to get it out. I'm sure this is limited in some fashion, but there is nothing stated anywhere on what the limitation could be. It's probably 500 copies, which is fairly standard for vinyl of this nature. It also comes with an insert with lyrics and other liner notes. It's basically a nicely printed 8 and half by 11 piece of paper though, not an actual poster of any kind.

Graupel present us with an entirely new song to start us off and it's pretty much on par with what you'd expect after hearing "Als der Nebel..." It's more of that intense and violent style of Black Metal, however, they do manage to try and switch things up, because after about a minute and a half the song breaks into an atmospheric interlude and things take on a bit more atmospheric riffing. I think it would be interesting if Graupel managed to put this type of thing together more, marrying their intensity with a bit more atmospheric edge, because there isn't much out there like that. Then when they break into their catchier riffs, they tend to feel way heavier as well, with the bass thundering away at the groove. After that we're treated to a re-recording of the song "Seelenkampf" featured on their demo. The recording quality really isn't that much better than the original demo, so its not really adding that much more to the experience. However, it is cleaned up enough so you can get a far better feel for the song and it is certainly a great song, so I'm not surprised they wanted to redo it.

Graupel - Als der Nebel...
Self-Released, 2001
Genre: Black Metal

1. Intro
2. Graupel
3. Seelenkampf
4. Zwergennacht
5. Ringgeister
6. Kriegerherz




It seems Graupel has been a project for quite some time, but it was only in 2001 that it finally saw the light of day with a recording of any kind. I found out about this project through Zingultus' involvement, because I had followed Nagelfar and enjoyed them quite a bit, so I decided to take a look at what else he offered. "Als der Nebel..." was originally released as a self-released CD-R limited to 50 copies, which I missed out on, so I wound up with the cassette version released by Sombre Records in 2002 (pictured above).

Graupel plays raw and noisy vicious Black Metal on this demo. If you were expecting something similar to things like Nagelfar, it's not really like that. Sure the last song has a clean guitar tone that is somewhat reminiscent, but that's it. Graupel plays faster and far more violent Black Metal. They remind me a lot of what Endstille started doing in the same year. The music can sometimes take on a very militant feel with how vicious some of the riffs can sound. However, Graupel is a little different, they're not afraid to throw some real groove into their riffing. The entire song of "Kriegerherz" is basically an entirely groove laden song. It stands in contrast to such an intense and uncompromising demo, but at the same time it really works as a closer. It reminds me a lot of what Gorgoroth manages to pull off with their slower songs.

If you like your Black Metal raw and uncompromising then this is certainly a band to watch out for. The usual one complaint is that they could certainly clean up the noisy production a little bit, but we'll see what happens if they put out a full-length release.

Entartung

Entartung - Baptised into the Faith of Lust
World Terror Committee, 2017
Genre: Black Metal

1. Resurrectio mortuorum
2. Vices of the Prophet
3. De Sura Frukterna av Shalems Hus
4. Agni Kravyad
5. Der Werwolf
6. Black Dog of God
7. Hymne à la Beauté






When I saw it announced that Entartung had a new album coming, I was instantly excited. "Peccata Mortalia" has been receiving regular play in my rotation of albums. The track they debuted was "Black Dog of God" and when I listened to it on youtube, I was a little less than impressed... so I was worried the album wouldn't be very good. However, I also know that whatever youtube does to music is often bad for Black Metal, so judging a recording on that platform isn't so great. So, I bought the album anyway to see for myself.

I'm happy to report that "Baptised into the Faith of Lust" is an absolutely excellent album. One of the best released in 2017 I dare say, for me at any rate. After giving this quite a few listens at this point, I think I understand why I didn't really like the promo song. Perhaps to no fault of their own, but the lead sections of guitars is sometimes buried a little deeper in the mix than is necessary. Sure, it creates an interesting atmosphere of subtle leads... but that doesn't help the song stand out as much. When run through the youtube system, it basically gets rid of the leads quite a bit more, so the tracks don't seem as well done or as catchy, but listening to "Black Dog of God" on my own system really makes that track stand out. It is, indeed, one of the finer songs on the entire album and has some of the best riffs around!

"Baptised into the Faith of Lust" builds on the foundation of "Peccata Mortalia", but instead of staying within the realms of purely German Black Metal, I hear a bit of the Finnish end of things put into play. Granted it sounds primarily German, I just hear a bit of Sargeist styled elements show up here and there once in a while in their compositions. "Black Dog of God" basically opens with that kind of riffing, if you want to hear an example of it.

Once again, they have a beautifully designed booklet. There's only one issue I have with it, while the font choice is visually arresting and matches the layout concept very well... in terms of reading it's not so great. As with the prior album they include a background explanation for the lyrical influence of each song, but the font kind of hinders you from reading it too much. Design wise it really works though... so at least the whole booklet looks beautiful.

In the end Entartung have put together another truly excellent album and I'm looking forward to listening to it multiple times over the years. If you've been a fan of their discography so far, then this new album will certainly be no different. One of the things I like about Entartung is that they really manage to stay true to their core sound, but they don't just release the same album every time. They sort of circle around a core theme, but with different focus each time. Definitely one of the better bands to be following right now.

Entartung - Peccata Mortalia
World Terror Committee, 2014
Genre: Black Metal

1. Der Hölle Herr
2. Blasphemaverit in Spiritum Sanctum
3. Out of Darkness into Light
4. Faith on the Scaffold
5. Cimmerian Shade
6. To Conquer Immortality in the Depths
7. The Law of the Claw
8. Yawm ad-din







After an absolutely astonishing debut album, Entartung return a couple years later with the follow-up. They build on the basics of the debut, but push their compositions deeper on this album. In addition to well thought out music, the entirety of the album seems to have a far deeper layer to it. Just looking through the booklet, each song is accompanied by a background explanation on what influenced the lyrics. It's a really great read and they really put together an excellent design of the booklet as well.

"Peccata Mortalia" like 'Krypteia" is filled with all kinds of wonderful riffing to catch our ears, but there is a level of deepness to it that was sort of missing from "Krypteia". Indeed, "Krypteia" seems a bit more primitive by comparison. The arrangements and production trend more towards the modern side of Black Metal, and even though we've lost some of the raw edge in the production everything still feels organic, so there's no over production going on here. The drums sound like drums, not clicky computers. The arrangements seem more cohesive within each song, but I do wish there were a few more of those riffs that catch your ear instantly like the opening song on "Krypteia". They are certainly still featured throughout "Peccata Mortalia", such as the chorus section of "Blasphemaverit in Spiritum Sanctum", but I think there are a few less than the debut. They've also taken to adding piano into a couple areas, mainly the intro and outro. They do an okay job with it, its short and sweet and serves well enough to introduce and close the album.

In the end this is a very excellent follow-up to their debut. Some bands languish in the glory of their debut and never quite manage to overcome it, but Entartung have done that as far as I'm concerned. While "Peccata Mortalia" isn't leaps and bounds better, it definitely builds on the ideas the project laid down and sticks to those original roots. I'm definitely interested in following this project further, especially after two great albums.

Entartung - Krypteia
World Terror Committee, 2012
Genre: Black Metal

1. Flucht in die Finsternis
2. Der Sieg der Vergänglichkeit
3. Über die Grenzen des Todes
4. Drei Milliarden Herzschläge
5. Boreas, Gott der Nordwinde
6. Wenn die Jagd beginnt (Christenverfolgung)









I didn't discover Entartung until their second album when I was randomly buying albums from a distro. Their covers were eye catching and I tend to enjoy quite a bit of German Black Metal so I took a risk on the project and bought their first two albums. I also feel like this project came out of nowhere... the members don't seem to have been involved in other projects. There's no demo material before this. All of a sudden this band is on World Terror Committee one of the stronger Black Metal labels out there!

Regardless of the lack of history, I'm certainly glad to get my hands on this material. From the beginning of the very first riff of "Krypteia" I was immediately hooked. I knew from that moment I was in for a great album. This band basically nails everything I'm looking for in a Black Metal album. Granted its the German variant and I certainly won't complain about that, because here we have vicious rawness blended with catchy riffing blended with a cold, yet triumphant atmosphere. At times you'll hear some aspects of things like early Der Weg Einer Freiheit, but then they'll have these sections that really hook you in which remind me of bands like Schrat and Shores of Ladon. Its really an intoxicating listen, because they manage to do all that and still have the droning wall of sound sections we all love in Black Metal. If I had to level any type of criticism at this, the vocals are just okay. They fit the music well, certainly, but I've definitely heard better. Since this seems to be a two man project, I guess you just go with whoever's the best at it! Either way, they work well enough.

Entartung are obviously off to a truly stellar start... will they be able to keep it up? I absolutely hope so! I want more of this, we all need more of this out there. Anyway, if you're a fan of the modern German Black Metal sound, then this band is an absolute must hear as far as I'm concerned. This album has so much replay value for me as well and since I got it a few years ago, I still listen to it.

Zorn

Zorn & NG Split
Christhung Productions, 2015
Genre: Black Metal

Zorn:
1. Vulkanischer Winter
2. War Command (Blasphemy cover)
NG:
3. Einheit 731
4. The Collaborator










Side NG: ...coming eventually...
Side Zorn:

Given how much I enjoyed listening to "Gegen Alles" I really wanted to track down the follow-up 7" split limited to 500 copies. As expected the new original song "Vulkanischer Winter" meets my expectations of quality after hearing a great album from Zorn. Essentially, if you enjoyed "Gegen Alles" this doesn't stray too much from that theme. With less than a minute left on the side available for playing Zorn cranks through a Blasphemy cover of "War Command". They do it justice, but I personally have never liked songs like this. It's also a massive difference compared to their original track, which I like a lot more at any rate. So, if you're a major Zorn fan and try to get all their material if you can, then you will not be disappointed with their side of the split!

Zorn - Gegen Alles
Christhunt Productions, 2014
Genre: Black Metal

1. Gegen Alles
2. In der Dunkelheit
3. Verbrannte Erde
4. Manch geisterhafte
5. Kreaturen
6. Madenwerk
7. Deathfuck
8. V.c.H.u.j.B.
9. Zorn & Zerstörung V







It's actually been quite a while since we've heard a full-length from Zorn and I remember when this came out it took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting it at all, somehow it's impending release never made it my way until it was already here. I was happy to see them release this on Christhunt, which is a record label I've considered putting out fairly good quality releases for a while now. Naturally, when it finally came to my attention I ordered my copy of this right away.

While "Menschenfiend II" was a great success and it had quite the somber and melancholic atmosphere, "Gegen Alles" seems to shrug almost all of that off with the opening track. "Gegen Alles" is a more hard hitting raw Black Metal album compared to the other Zorn albums. Where on the earlier releases those hard hitting tracks were in the minority, this time I feel like Zorn has put something a bit more unrelenting in our paths. While the more melancholic riffing isn't gone forever in this album, I feel like this has more in common with early Endstille releases (albeit not nearly as insanely fast) than it does with some of the prior Zorn recordings. Unlike Endstille though, they tend to favor far catchier riffing, so maybe there's more in common with the German Pest in that regard? Either way, "Gegen Alles" is an extremely good listen. In some of the earlier Zorn albums I feel like certain songs or riffs could stall out, but "Gegen Alles" keeps my attention throughout the album. The only track that really slows down throughout is "V.c.H.u.j.B." and this wound up feeling more like an old Gorgoroth song than anything else to me.

In the end I quite enjoyed "Gegen Alles" quite a bit and will have this in my regular rotation for listening to Zorn. Needless to say I'm looking forward, even more, to future releases because this project seems to keep getting better and better with each release in my opinion.

Zorn - Zorn
Asatru Klangwerke, 2011
Genre: Black Metal

1. Zorn
2. Shut Up Gothic Slut
3. Mongoloid (Devo Cover)













Just to show us the project hasn't gone silent Zorn put out a new EP with two new songs and a cover track. This is pressed on 7" vinyl and limited to 250 copies. I have the blue vinyl edition of this release. The first song, titled after the band name is more typical of what we expect to hear from Zorn. However, when we get to the B-side, things are a little different. You kind of get that impression with a song title like "Shut Up Gothic Slut" and it's basically what I expected. It's far more Punk styled Black Metal song than anything else. I'm not usually into the Punk styled Black Metal, but Zorn did a pretty good job putting it together giving it more of a Darkthrone feel than anything else in the end. The EP closes off with a cover by Devo called "Mongoloid." Naturally, they performed it in a Black Metal fashion and Zorn being a raw Black Metal band used guitar to cover the synthesizer lead portions. The drums were entirely re-arranged compared to the original to complement the more Black Metal performance and it came out pretty good in the end.

Zorn - Menschenfeind II - A.N.
Christhunt Productions, 2009
Genre: Black Metal

1. Vektoren der Dummheit
2. Entfremdungsprozess
3. ...für eure Ignoranz
4. Hinter dieser Welt
5. Zerstöre den Mensch
6. Spottgeburten
7. Endloses Leer
8. Antichristliches Naturerbe








According to some sources there were some line-up changes and additions to Zorn for this album, but since no member is listed on this release I can't confirm anything. Strangely it's been a while since we've all heard from Zorn. However, in looking at the liner notes of the CD this was actually recorded back in 2007 and finally being released in 2009. In between this time a promo tape was put out in 2008 limited to 100 copies. I've never been able to get my hands on it, but I would love to if I could.

"Menschenfeind II" is quite the step up in the songwriting for Zorn. The recording is a little more polished, so it's not as good as the reckless sound of "Todesschwadron" in that regard, but the music is quite good overall. This is probably one of my favorite albums from Zorn and they've started using more layered guitars which add a bit more depth to the music. I really enjoy the way this album ended up turning out, though the booklet and layout is pretty minimal. Whatever went on with the band in its time from the last album till now, I hope will stay fairly constant. Although, I would like to see them revert back to the harsher production, because I felt that added a far more vicious dimension to their music and I very much preferred it.

In the end, this was quite an excellent album. This has been my go to Zorn album as of late when it comes to listening to the band. This might change when future albums are released, of course, but for now this is the one I enjoy quite a bit for the time being.

Zorn - Todesschwadron
Black Attakk, 2005
Genre: Black Metal

1. Der, der das feuer personifiziert (Hellfire Invasion)
2. Parasitäre Drecksschergen
3. Der Tag an dem die Flamme sprach
4. Gotteskinder im stinkenden Schafspelz
5. Der Wind und sein klagendes Heulen
6. Auf Fleischlosen Schwingen in die Ferne
7. Sturmwind in den Mauern der Verdummungsstädte
8. Stahlgewitter des Zorns III





For me "Todesschwadron" is where Zorn really starts to take off. On this album they've really managed to figure out that balance of the vicious raw tone with well written music that supports the style. "Todesschwadron" is a pretty good foray into the realms of raw Black Metal, I'm not sure I would class this as a top release, but it's certainly an enjoyable listen!

At times "Todesschwadron" is up there with Endstille, but I've always found Endstille to be a little more mesmerizing and more solidly grabs my attention. It seems Zorn is on its way to having this effect, but I think Zorn will fall into having more of a Black Metal groove than Black Metal assault in their overall writing. The opening song of this album is an exception to that though, it's an intense and vicious opener that really did grab my attention. However, as the album progresses Zorn tries to switch things up a little more with filtering in some good mid-paced songs, so as to not re-create the likes of "Panzer Division Marduk", which can get quite boring after a while. Mix in a solid dose of older styled Satyricon and we've got a pretty good blend of things that I enjoy a lot in Black Metal. The guitar and bass are being blended and harmonized a lot more than before and it's creating a really excellent full effect in terms of Zorn's compositions.

Even though there isn't too much in the booklet, except some band photos and a couple paragraphs in German, I still like the overall aesthetic of the design. They even used a rougher paper than the usual CD booklet and I think the concept and layout fit the music very well.

In the end, I may not pull this album out as often as other albums, but when I do revisit it every once in a while I do enjoy listening to it. If your a fiend for raw Black Metal and just want to hear everything that's out there, this album by Zorn is a solid performance and I think most listeners will find it an enjoyable experience. At this point I'm pretty interested to hear what might be in store next for us, because it seems Zorn's compositions are getting stronger and more interesting as they release music.

Zorn & Grålysning Split
Supreme Chaos Records, 2004
Genre: Black Metal

Zorn:
1. Es zittern die morschen Knochen...
Grålysning:
2. ...und die Flamme zerfrisst den Leib












Side Gråflysning: ...coming eventually...
Side Zorn:

After a full-length Zorn brings us another 7" split on vinyl. Like the last one this one is also limited to 666 hand-numbered copies, of which I own #87. It looks like everything was pressed on black vinyl this time around.

I wish I had better things to say about the track Zorn brings us this time. I feel like this is a step back to the days of "Schwarz Metall" in the sense that they're after the Marduk worship again. In fact one of the riff progressions sounds exactly like "Slay the Nazarene". It's really just different enough, but the chore progression for that chorus is here in my opinion. In the end, this is a bit of a sorry follow-up to the "Menschenfeind" album. Unless you must have ever Zorn recording, don't worry about missing out on this one.

Zorn - Menschenfeind
Neon Knights, 2003
Genre: Black Metal

1. Intro
2. Endsieg
3. Faustschlag (In die Christliche Welt)
4. Mordlust
5. Kristallnacht
6. Sohn der manvatarischen Dämmerung
7. Die Gegenoffensive
8. Menschenfeind
9. Triumphmarsch Zorn II (Zerfall der Religionen)





It seems A. Blackwar's participation in Zorn was fairly short lived, because there is no mention of his involvement in the liner notes. For their second full-length Nachtschatten would be handling all guitar duties and already things are improved, as far as I'm concerned.

While "Menschenfeind" keeps that raw style of Black Metal recording that fits with Zorn, I find the songwriting improved. Already Nachtschatten is trying to work beyond the more generic formulas. While it's not always a success and not every guitar line is an amazing journey, the overall arrangements feel more varied and the guitar riffs feel a lot more thoughtful than before. It feels a lot more than just sawing away at the guitar in the hopes that blinding the listener with speed will make up for the boring riffing. Nachtschatten, obviously, doesn't work that way and his writing is off to a strong start.

"Menschenfeind" builds off the first album and cuts away a lot of more the lackluster filler material and focuses on stronger songwriting. While "Menschenfeind" isn't devoid of its filler material, there's certainly a lot less on this album than in prior releases. At least with this I feel like we're hearing more of what Zorn should sound like instead of just a continuation of Isegrim.

Zorn & Battlehorns Split
Supreme Chaos Records, 2002
Genre: Black Metal

Zorn:
1. Genichschuss
Battlehorns:
2. Pestenberserker












Side Battlehorns: ...coming eventually...
Side Zorn:

I missed out on the demo cassette released prior to this split, but I was able to get a hold of this release on 7" vinyl limited to 666 copies hand-numbered copies, of which I own 610. This is also pressed on red vinyl, I doubt there were other colors in the run, so all of them are probably this color.

Zorn aren't really offering too much of a difference from "Schwarz Metall" on this release, however, I do think "Genichschuss" has a bit more elaboration at times, which make the song a little more interesting to listen to. Part of the problem Isegrim had in songwriting was that a lot of it was just sawing away at a guitar with power chords or the like. Zorn is sort of in that rut, but breaking out at times. I feel like the potential is there, we just have to unlock it. Either way "Genichschuss" is moving in the right direction and hopefully that will happen soon for this project.

Zorn - Schwarz Metall
Last Episode, 2001
Genre: Black Metal

1. Hexenlichter am Nordhimmel
2. Schwarz Metall
3. Der Totale Krieg
4. Wiederkehr
5. Kriegserklärung an die Menscheit
6. ...in Flammen
7. Panzerzorn
8. Genickschuss




I've been a fan of Zorn for a little while now, but I've missed out on some releases here and there and I just give up trying to track them down. So my discography begins with their debut full-length. Last Episode has gotten quite a lot of flack over the years as being a sub par label releasing sub par bands, and in some cases that is probably true, but sometimes you get a couple great random bands out of Germany like Zorn, for example.

One of the other selling points for Zorn was the involvement of A. Blackwar in the project. I thought some of his work with Mystic Circle was okay and there were quite a few Isegrim songs that were pretty well done, but his best projects, for me, have been Zorn and Mord. This album sort of has the Gorgoroth "Destroyer" syndrome in the sense that a bunch of musicians all played various instruments to get the recording done.

While "Schwarz Metall" reminds me quite a bit of Isegrim, I think it's also a lot more raw and vicious at times. There are songs that just seem like a continuation of the Isegrim project, which can feel kind of boring at times. At others it seems like total Marduk worship, which can be good and bad. Some songs are truly great like the title track "Schwarz Metall", which I found very enjoyable. The vocal performance reminds me a lot of what we heard on the Octinimos albums, with that overly distorted voice approach. For me, I usually like this approach for a bit more of a flavor or extra texture in certain sections of a song, not on an entire album. We'll see if Zorn changes things up in the future.

In the end "Schwarz Metall" is okay, it's not great, it's not terrible, but it doesn't really stand out either. If you're a fan of A. Blackwar, then you'll probably enjoy this, especially if you ever wanted more out of the Isegrim project. I think Zorn is a little stronger than the later releases of Isegrim, so that's a bonus for them.

Schrat

Schrat - Alptraumgänger
Folter Records, 2018
Genre: Black Metal

1. Intro - Wahn
2. Alptraumgänger
3. Masken des Schweigens
4. Gräberland
5. Wolf is erwacht - Adams Sohn zerfetzt
6. Outro - Taumel
Live 2017:
7. Intro - Rausch
8. Knochenkult
9. Kriegsgericht
10. Endzeitphilosophie
11. Eruption


When I first saw it announced that Folter would be handling the next Schrat release I was immediately excited, because Folter has a further reach than the prior labels Schrat has worked with. I've been dealing with Folter for well over a decade now and they always deliver! So, I was very pleased for Schrat to be getting noticed by Folter, especially given how incredible "Artefakt" was. When it was finally announced a new release was looming, I couldn't wait! Schrat is a band I have on my short list of bands I keep in fairly constant rotation.

The first thing about this album I saw was disappointing, this isn't truly a full-length, instead it's more of an EP with some live songs to round it out to full-length status. In reality we're only getting four new Schrat songs at the end of the day, not include intro's and outro stuff. The layout and design of the album is wonderful though, so I have no complaints there, other than I'm not a big fan of gluing the booklet into the inside of the digipak. Though, some people might like this because then it doesn't fall out... but, I'm not into this design feature. The other sad news related to this release is that shortly after the release long time guitarist Skilnir has left the project. Given the body of work this is disappointing and I hope Schrat will continue to release quality music, sometimes a creative force can be a big blow to a band, but I am hopeful Schrat can continue!

So, how do the new songs stack up? Well, they're quite different from "Artefakt". "Artefakt" had a lot of dark atmosphere and really wonderfully thought out. A full-length in that style would have been an immense and impressive listen, "Alptraumgänger" takes an entirely different approach and I think it heralds back more to the "Schattenwahn" style. The tracks on "Alptraumgänger" are vicious and violent, which Schrat does a great job performing. There's even some serious thrashier moments thrown into the riffing style, which heralds back to bands like Aura Noir and riffing like that. This blended with the more traditional Black Metal riffing makes for a really intense release and is probably the most intense album Schrat has put out yet. So, I guess the bad news here is that we didn't get a full-length treatment of "Artefakt"... but the really good news is we have "Alptaumgänger". If you enjoy that particular brand of violent styled Black Metal then this is an absolute must hear!

Creating a fairly stark contrast in releases the last part of this album is a live recording from 2017 where they play two tracks from "Artefakt" and two tracks from "Schattenwahn". I don't know if their live show ever goes back further. However, the live recording is fairly good quality. It's kind of weird having the outro of "Alptaumgänger" right before the intro to the live set... which doesn't appear to have been part of their actual live set. Or maybe it was? They just have the studio version here, I don't know. Either way, as far as live tracks go, they're well recorded and Schrat do an excellent job performing their songs.

In the end I would consider this an absolute must buy. I would've considered that without the live tracks as well. Then again I'm a pretty big fan of what Schrat is doing musically, so unless they drastically change styles, I'll probably always be there for whatever they have to release. The only problem with this release is the fact that it's not truly a full-length means I probably won't put it into the running for album of the year. Ah well... I hope they will put out a proper full-length like "Schattenwahn" soon, because their new material is so good I would love to just sit in their atmosphere for a solid 45 minutes or so.

Schrat - Artefakt
Knochensack Versand, 2015
Genre: Black Metal

1. Fluktuation
2. Knochenkult
3. Endzeitphilosophie











When I saw it announced that Schrat was releasing some new music, I immediately ordered a copy of this, because if it was anything nearly as good as "Schattenwahn" I certainly needed to hear more. Don't be fooled by the date on this release, the music was actually recorded back in 2011 and only now we are finally getting to see it hit the light of day! Probably why the EP is called "Artefakt".

As with "Schattenwahn" this EP captures the same majesty and excellent we expect from this project now. The opening song "Fluktuation" wastes no time in launching into an amazing riff that immediately catches our attentions, before launching into some very good melancholic atmospheres to blend in with the riff. The other two songs on the album follow in similar suit in terms of quality, with "Knochenkult" kicking the tempo up quite a bit and "Endzeitphilosophie" striking a middle balance between the two.

In the end if you enjoyed "Schattenwahn" you can expect the same level of quality in these songs. I'm really glad Schrat decided to release the material, because I've enjoyed this EP quite a bit. I truly hope there is more music in the works. It seems like it's been quite a while since they've done anything, if the last time they were in the studio was 2011.

Schrat - Schattenwahn
ARTicaz, 2011
Genre: Black Metal

1. Prolog
2. Mal der Schande
3. Schwarze Brut
4. Transzendenz
5. Beschwörung...
6. Kriegsgericht
7. Jenseits der Einsamkeit
8. Eruption
9. Im Zwielicht-Abgrund
10. ...Erbamungslos






I, honestly, forget how I heard about Schrat, but "Schattenwahn" was my first experience with the project. Needless to say it grabbed my attention immediately! After a lackluster debut album, Schrat return with incredibly strong second full-length. I don't think I got this album too long after it's original release date and it's really stood the test of time, even five years later. I find myself still listening to this album on a somewhat regular basis and enjoying it.

There has been a bit of a line-up shift in Schrat and Nastrond has moved from drums to vocals. This was clearly a smart move in my opinion, because his vocals are actually quite excellent and sounds better than the first album. Leaving a gap in the drum seat, they turned to Seraph of Dark Fortress to session drum for them, which was a great idea. He's an extremely solid drummer and clearly performs well in the studio. The combination of these changes has launched Schrat into excellent status in my book.

"Schattenwahn" falls into the more traditional Black Metal variety of albums, but it's so well done I can't help but get into it. The production quality is perfect, everything is balanced and it's not too over produced. Now, while some people may find this album to be too similar to albums that already exist, I look at "Schattenwahn" in the following context. Take some of the best riffing Black Metal has to offer from various projects all over the world and put them on a single album and that's what I think of when I hear "Schattenwahn". Okay, maybe it doesn't have every single top riff, but I'm sure you get the idea. "Schattenwahn" is like a celebration of the best Black Metal has to offer rolled into one release. It ranges from extremely catchy riff sections similar to what Dödheimsgard has done in the past along with chilling sections that are reminiscent of "De Mysteriis dom Sathanas". Throw in some soaring passages similar to Lunar Aurora and you've certainly got my attention. They've definitely stepped up the writing on this album, as you can see.

In the end if you're looking for some extremely solid Black Metal then I can't recommend "Schattenwahn" enough. The changes Schrat has made has really turned into a winning formula for them and I hope they stick with this going forward. I look forward to anything else the put out in the future.

Schrat - Bestimmung Raserei
Self-Released, 2009
Genre: Black Metal

1. Intro Abrechnung
2. Blutkatharsis
3. Reich des Schrats
4. Geist der Felsen
5. Erstickungstod
6. Steinernes Vermaechtnis
7. Bestimmung
8. Die Bestie








I wish I was about to regale everyone with tales of this great new band I found, but sadly this is not the album for that. Turns out their second album is where that whole aspect comes in. For now we have the debut full-length from Schrat, which the band self published. Now, I've never heard their demo and I can't compare the two, but if I ever track down a copy I'll listen and review it.

For now, let's just delve into the full length. I wish I had more positive things to say, but I don't have much. It's a fairly mediocre release by Black Metal standards. It has everything you expect and has some moments that reminisce of Bathory, but it is all only okay. The real problem is that nothing really grabs my attention. There's no fondness for the atmosphere the songs generate. "Erstrickungstod" has some good moments, so the band is capable of generating some interesting stuff, but for the most part this album falls quite short. The musicians behind the project seem to be quite competent and the production is pretty good, with a balance between audible and harsh. The vocals are a bit distorted in the mix though, but that's the only major issue I can see.

Overall this album is probably worth skipping unless you simply must have all the Schrat albums like I wanted. I can assure you the discography gets much stronger after this, but even though the debut wasn't all that memorable, it's not a bad starting point for a band.