- Nov 23, 2002
- 26,681
- 9,655
- 113
Severely unappreciated Heathen release 94%
If you've avoided this release due to Wolfnacht's reputation as an Absurd clone, I suggest you reconsider. This is his debut full-length, before he began to walk down his current road, and it's an entirely different beast.
Heidentum combines melancholic, brooding melodies with aggressive drumming to create an epic atmosphere that conjures up the image of a war for Heathenism against Christianity, taking place upon an alien (or perhaps it's a vision of what's to come in the future?) landscape. The drumming, and in particular the cymbals give this album great energy, each one seemingly representing the clash of a sword, not unlike the great Thousand Swords. The album seems to unfold a war that gets more and more complex as it goes on - later tracks are longer and generally more experimental and interesting.
Along with the artist's superb instinct for melody, the best thing about this CD is the superb synth work in places, usually to give the album dynamic contrast and thus add to the brooding feeling, or to emphasise a climax in the music. "Licht des Sieges" is a particularly good example of this, and is my personal favourite track along with the last one, "Ein damonischer Winter verhullt den Schattenturm". This is a bizarre track which lets the listener down from the war's climax, to brilliant effect. It uses a synth(maybe keys or something else?) to create extremely alien melodies, each note pulsing almost like the ripples after you've just dropped a stone into a lake.
The vocal-production is the main complaint. Firstly, they sound like they're altered/distorted in the mix to give them more impact, which I don't really like. Secondly, they're a bit too loud, and although this is probably purposeful to give the album more power, it can be a nuisance. Neither of these issues spoil the atmosphere of Heidentum significantly, though. The rest of the production is perfectly fine; the guitar tone is very sharp and angled, the bass is clear but subtly tucked away in the background, and I believe Wolfnacht uses a drum machine as there's a slight mechanical feel to them, but it's one of those rare cases where it doesn't take anything away from the album's quality.
Anything I rate above 90% is essential, so hurry up and find this one. Another fine black metal recording from Greece.
If you've avoided this release due to Wolfnacht's reputation as an Absurd clone, I suggest you reconsider. This is his debut full-length, before he began to walk down his current road, and it's an entirely different beast.
Heidentum combines melancholic, brooding melodies with aggressive drumming to create an epic atmosphere that conjures up the image of a war for Heathenism against Christianity, taking place upon an alien (or perhaps it's a vision of what's to come in the future?) landscape. The drumming, and in particular the cymbals give this album great energy, each one seemingly representing the clash of a sword, not unlike the great Thousand Swords. The album seems to unfold a war that gets more and more complex as it goes on - later tracks are longer and generally more experimental and interesting.
Along with the artist's superb instinct for melody, the best thing about this CD is the superb synth work in places, usually to give the album dynamic contrast and thus add to the brooding feeling, or to emphasise a climax in the music. "Licht des Sieges" is a particularly good example of this, and is my personal favourite track along with the last one, "Ein damonischer Winter verhullt den Schattenturm". This is a bizarre track which lets the listener down from the war's climax, to brilliant effect. It uses a synth(maybe keys or something else?) to create extremely alien melodies, each note pulsing almost like the ripples after you've just dropped a stone into a lake.
The vocal-production is the main complaint. Firstly, they sound like they're altered/distorted in the mix to give them more impact, which I don't really like. Secondly, they're a bit too loud, and although this is probably purposeful to give the album more power, it can be a nuisance. Neither of these issues spoil the atmosphere of Heidentum significantly, though. The rest of the production is perfectly fine; the guitar tone is very sharp and angled, the bass is clear but subtly tucked away in the background, and I believe Wolfnacht uses a drum machine as there's a slight mechanical feel to them, but it's one of those rare cases where it doesn't take anything away from the album's quality.
Anything I rate above 90% is essential, so hurry up and find this one. Another fine black metal recording from Greece.
