Band: Ingrimm
Title: Todgeweiht
Label: Black Bards Entertainment
Distribution: Sonic Rendezvous
Release date: 06/04/2009
Review: CD

Ingrimm were found by vocalist and lyricist Stephan Zandt under the name Igni Et Ferro. Throughout the years, Ingrimm grew as a professional band, and both live and on studio recording the band knew to please its audience. The 2006-released promo-MCD Feuerteufe drew attention of the German Folk / Metal label Black Bards Entertainment. The first result of this collaboration was Ihr Sollt Brennen (Nov. 2007), and last year the band, with a new (female) bass player, recorded the second full length, which was produced by Stephan Fimmers (who worked with extreme acts as Necrophagist and Gorerotted before), guitar player and main music composer Alex Haas, and Matthias Wimmer (also guest musician).
Todgeweiht, lasting for 44:30 minutes, brings a medieval form of Folk Metal, but not the ‘average’ version we’re overcrowded with lately. As a matter of fact, the core of Ingrimm’s hymns is a guitar-driven form of groovy, rhythmic and uncomplicated yet varying Metal. The sometimes thrashy, then again catchy arrangements do contain the ‘usual’ Metal-instruments, electric and bass guitars and drums; the band, however, uses some ‘traditional’ ones as important instruments for their music. Christian Hadensdorfer plays bagpipes and hurdy-gurdy (drehleier), which are as common as the other instruments, and bringing that medieval atmosphere into the enthusiastic hymns. The songs vary a lot in both tempo (with a few interesting breaks) and melody, yet also Stephan Zandt’s vocals are varying: clean vocals, a rougher, melodic rocking throat, and blackish grunts.
Sometimes it bores me, sometimes it surprises me as well.
The lyrics, finally, all are in German and mainly deal with medieval themes, yet with a subtle blink to today’s life.

75/100

Ivan Tibos.