Der Weg einer Freiheit

Solbrud – IIII Review

Solbrud – IIII Review

By Eldritch Elitist on February 7, 2024 in Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, 54 comments

“IIII, the aptly titled fourth album from Denmark’s Solbrud, comprises ninety-four minutes of atmospheric black metal and HOLY SHIT WHERE ARE YOU GOING HOW ARE YOU RUNNING THAT FAST?? Well, anyway. For the die-hards who didn’t immediately flee at the concept of a double LP of atmoblack, I can guarantee a valid reason for why I’m endeavoring to cover this thing at all. I’ve made it no secret that this meandering, often forceless subgenre has not so much a home in my heart as a lean-to fashioned from three sticks and a handful of dental floss.” Three times the atmoblast.

Der Weg einer Freiheit – Noktvrn Review

Der Weg einer Freiheit – Noktvrn Review

By Eldritch Elitist on November 17, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, 30 comments

“I have a tendency to expect too much from my favorite artists. For many, an attachment sparked by a particularly excellent record leads many to lifelong devotion. For me, it results in mounting expectations, which are all too easily extinguished. And extinguished they were by Der Weg einer Freiheit’s Finisterre, at least at first. The band’s stellar Stellar was already a black metal all-timer for me, and the fact that Finisterre dared dampen that album’s epic scope in any way felt like sacrilege. Of course, that feeling changed with time and acceptance; in fact, if I ever get around to writing a Contrite Metal Guy piece, it will be first up to bat for a promotion. Lessons were thus learned, and I dove into Noktvrn with zero expectations and an open heart.” Open heart, frozen veins.

Ellende – Triebe Review

Ellende – Triebe Review

By Doom_et_Al on January 20, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, 63 comments

“Can art be updated? Once released, is a piece of art fixed forever, like chiseled stone? Or fluid, like the hobo wine in the AMG office dispenser? If an artist or musician takes an existing work, and makes changes, have they created an entirely separate piece, or merely created their preferred version? Austrian black metal band, Ellende, raises these questions with its latest (shhhhh) EP, Triebe.” Disastrous moments in filtration.

Hohenstein – Weißer Hirsch Review

Hohenstein – Weißer Hirsch Review

By Doom_et_Al on April 5, 2020 in 2020, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, German Metal, Purity Through Fire, Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, Black Metal, 8 comments

It was said of the author, Michael Crichton, that he was unusually cursed. By some Faustian bargain, he was able to come up with exceptionally good ideas for his novels, but then cruelly denied the ability to see any of them through to satisfying conclusions. It’s why most movies of his works (Jurassic Park, The […]

Murdryck – Födelsen Review

Murdryck – Födelsen Review

By Doom_et_Al on May 11, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Leviaphonic Records, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Black Metal, 23 comments

“’The first draft of almost everything you produce is shit. And the second draft is usually also shit. But you never wind up with anything worthwhile without producing those early drafts.’ A wise supervisor once told me these words, and she was right. Whether a terrified n00b trying to avoid the perils of the AMG Skull Pit, or attempting a complicated academic research paper, the early stages of anything worthwhile are often about finding your identity and your voice. That process can be messy and unglamorous, but it’s how anything great gets made.” Revise, Mutherf_ _ _ _ _!

Infera Bruo – Cerement Review

Infera Bruo – Cerement Review

By Eldritch Elitist on September 10, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Black Metal, Prosthetic Records, Reviews, Black Metal, 66 comments

“I had barely glanced at the cover art for Cerement, the third LP from American progressive black metal act Infera Bruo, before writing this review. This is only due to my media player failing to automatically import the art from the album’s file folder, but as I began my drafting process and truly examined the art for the first time, I’m honestly stunned at how well it encapsulates the music I’ve been scrutinizing over the past week. The image is at odds with itself; it is at once a perfect representation of the scale and abstract nature of Lovecraft’s cosmic gods, and a restriction of those same ideas within a literal box.” Cosmos in a box.

Ewig.Endlich. – Auf Grund Review

Ewig.Endlich. – Auf Grund Review

By Eldritch Elitist on May 15, 2018 in 2018, Black Metal, Dedication Records, German Metal, Post-metal, Reviews, WOOAAARGH, Black Metal, Post-Metal, 36 comments

“I love last year’s Ghost Bath release. I say this not to stir up yet another round of fruitless discussion debating the validity of the band, but rather to place this review in context. As much of a fan as I am of traditional black metal, I’m by no means a purist, and I see value in the genre’s post-rock inspired incarnation as a means of borrowing and remixing traditional blackened tropes in an unexpectedly serene context. Ewig.Endlich. displays an acute understanding of how this formula works; their debut LP, Auf Grund, runs the gamut from melancholic post-rock to traditional black metal and does so with a respectable level of competence.” Competence is its own reward.

Horizon Ablaze – The Weight of a Thousand Suns Review

Horizon Ablaze – The Weight of a Thousand Suns Review

By Eldritch Elitist on February 23, 2018 in 2018, Black Metal, Norwegian Metal, Reviews, Self-released, Black Metal, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, 0 comments

“Records that pair abstract, artsy gore with a thematically rich title are the telltale wrappings of albums that may as well be the metal world’s equivalent of Oscar bait; you don’t have to listen to Horizon Ablaze to know that they deal in a progressive, forward-thinking strain of black/death metal. And yeah, most of those records are good, but The Weight of a Thousand Suns is especially fucking good.” There goes the tease.

Der Weg einer Freiheit – Finisterre Review

Der Weg einer Freiheit – Finisterre Review

By Eldritch Elitist on September 1, 2017 in 2017, Black Metal, German Metal, Reviews, Season of Mist, Black Metal, 39 comments

“Their sound is an excellent encapsulation of the dynamic nature of modern black metal, splicing post-black sensibilities with melodic bombastic and explosive drum performances. Due to the misguided hype, their fourth LP, Finisterre, was inescapably disappointing for my first few spins; much of what I love about Der Weg einer Freiheit’s prior album’s just isn’t here. With time, though, Finisterre blossomed into what I now regard as a complicated work of heartbreaking beauty, becoming the most impressive ‘grower’ of the year in the process.” Finisterre. Oh, Finisterre baby….