If Taylor Swift can do it, so can Ellende.
The longtime Austrian Atmospheric Black Metal outfit have re-recorded their 2016 record Todbringer for purposes of acquiring ownership. That new effort, entitled Todbringerin (AOP Records), is a shining example of Ellende’s innate ability to produce music that is precise and approached with care and balance.
Sonically, this results in a sound that is both fatalistic and touching, dire and alluring. Ellende are craftsmen that only get better by the year because they’ve captured and cemented an identity which is distinctive and ultra-refined.
Look no further than “Ballade auf den Tod.” Musically, a downtrodden spirit eventually becomes resigned. Razor-sharp screams combine with a mellow rhythm section. Apocalyptic, unforgiving shouts are nestled between drums. And I’m always a softie for voice clips, especially non-English ones, and especially in this genre.
“Versprochen…” takes a different approach entirely. Inviting and unassuming, the intro gives way to a warm melody. It also features a very subtle brass instrument briefly heard in the distance.
The fluidity in which Ellende can go from zero to one hundred is another major selling point. An acoustic start ebbs and flows effectively (“Am Ende Stirbst du allein”), but soon erupts into catastrophic delight.
It’s not out of the ordinary for the band to have interludes or transitional-sounding tracks. And it’s also custom for them to pour venomous discontent into their music. It’s the best of both worlds.
There are moments during Todbringerin that sound and feel so organic and matter-of-fact as if the band dreamed up the material prior to even putting it together, as if it were given to them by a higher being and they are the messengers (not at all in a condescending way).
It’s not always frantic; it’s not a random mish-mash. What we have here is a handful of artisans emphatically carrying out what they were put on this Earth to do: captivate and enrich.
Buy the album here:
https://linktr.ee/aoprec
8 / 10
MATT COOK