First of all, this is not black metal the mainstream way, nor the cult/old-school/unholy path has been taken. Instead, mastermind Lirtes, in charge of all the instruments here performed, has managed to create a creature firmly rooted in black metal ambiances but endowed with a wider range, somehow carving a stone where post-black metal, classic BM patterns and ambient are combined every now and then. Even a slight death metal leaning is reckoned according to the guitar focus, far away from grinding note sequences and reducing chords and harmonies. The variety of tempos is wide though blastbeats and slow parts tend to retire for the benefit of midtempos. Strangely enough, Lirtes is a drummer, and here comes the odd stuff: first of all, there are no ultra-technical percussive masturbations nor a wish to elevate the battery above the rest of instruments, both in sound and in execution. The band's purpose is a very balanced result where no instrument surmounts the rest. On the other hand, since he's a drummer, there are no programmed rhythms here, something almost mandatory in one man BM bedroom projects. The sound earns honesty and truth this way. The voice is raspy, and especially in this area Dornenreich come to the fore as a neat reference in the sound of Weidenbaum. The double vocal focus shifting between the creepy-psychophony one and the whispers is a clear similarity with the Austria-based band. The addition of mellow passages, and a certain muted chords preference, are other evidence of that influence.

Lows of the album: some riffs are easily forgettable, for the simplicity of guitar parts brings as a result some dry leads without any depth in sound, suggesting some need to work properly the execution and songwriting. The acoustic guitar solo on “Nebellied” is awful and amateurish, and the similarities between some tracks are prone to bore the listener. Making the album two songs shorter could have been a wise move, in my opinion. Yes, there is a variety of elements in the performance, but the overall texture is rather monolithic. That's on the stake on the last song, an orchestral suite where many themes from the metal compositions are played, giving a different focus to the music composed by Lirtes and providing a different and interesting focus to his songwriting.

Despite all these things, there is a clear will to make stuff with a different touch. The production has been quite worked on, it's quite decent to be a self-released album in a studio of his own. Not to forget the nice layout and presentation, including a booklet where all the lyrics are present. Many black metal bedroom kids would kill their mother for a debut album like this.

written by Fjordi

Playing time: 59:09