Ellende : "Todbringerin"

It seems I have some catching up to do. The last time I heard these guys was back when they released their 2019 album, so few trips to the studio are under their bullet belts that I missed. This explains the growth in the more melodic direction of their sound, and the pristine nature of the production that is organic enough to capture the spirit of the genre without being so polished they lose the black metal feel like say Behemoth. These Austrians are doing their own thing in the best way possible without turning off fans of the genre, as the scope of sound has changed but even with the jazzy guitar interludes nobody is going to doubt these guys are a black metal band even when they skimp on the blast beats. 

Agalloch might be a fair sonic comparison. The snarl of the raspy vocals anchors them in metal as the music soars off into the autumn sky. The drumming is very nuanced. The guitars are very nicely layered with wonderful tones dialed in. The instruments have space rather than just a buzzing drone of tremolo-picked guitars. "Verehrung" is very intentional, and works off all the elements they set in place in the previous song, without wearing them out already. "Scherben Teil" is written as parts one and two. The first of these sets the stage with a steady strum of guitar and a gracefully tasteful guitar solo. This does coast off into the kind of ambient black metal that is the backbone of this album. It is decorated with some stellar guitar flourishes. The second part kind of drones of the atmosphere formed in the previous song. 

"Versprochen" is the first song that crosses all the way over from black metal into post-rock. It's a pretty majestic song, so hard to argue with the results and the great guitar playing that drives the point home. "Verachtung' is the counterpoint to this as it roars back with more metallic intent. Keeping its fury at a steady march. The last song splits the difference as starting off with more ambiance pervading the guitar melodies then the storm builds into the scathing vocals that hold more malice in the climax. This album is better than what I heard from this band previously, which says something since the last album I reviewed got a 9, so I will give this one a 9.5, it shows you what black metal could be capable of.

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