| CD REVIEW Graupel |
|
|
Band: Graupel Graupel were formed in 1995 in Aachen (North Rhine-Westphalia) by some Nagelfar-members: Zingultus (formerly also in Desecration, and later on in Graven and Endstille) and Sveinn Hackelnberg. The latter, however, left soon after, and Zingultus got in touch with a few Verdunkeln-members (or more specific: members that formed Verdunkeln shortly after). But still it wasn’t that easy to continue, apparently. A CD-r demo followed in 2001 (Als Der Nebel…, re-released in 2005 on vinyl), 2004 saw the light of a split with German Black-duo Encomium, and one year later on, the debut was, finally, a fact. Auf Alten Wegen… was released through Cold Dimensions, and since then, with exception of another vinyl-only split (this time with Endstille), nothing had been done anymore, unfortunately. But now we have a successor of Auf Alten Wegen…. This second full length is comparable to the debut, but it is so much stronger: more professionally written songs, more variation and a matured performance.Am Pranger… brings forty five minutes of battering, rhythmic and merciless Black Metal with a rather primitive and nihilistic approach, yet without the boring repetitiveness that seems to be a curse with so many (German) bands lately. And everything that is needed (wanted) is present: splendid songs, nicely performed, and coming with the most haunting, suffocating atmosphere.
The first track, "Daemonicum", can’t really surprise me, yet as from the second one on ("Das Blutende Mal"), I really am into this album. This song is varying the right way, just like that. Splendid, one of the most intriguing Black-hymns I’ve heard in years. And this goes for several other compositions as well. Tempo-changes whole the time, yet not of the progressively-hooking kind, from slow over mid-tempo to fast, with semi-acoustic parts; straight-forward versus ingenious; whole the time with the most grim and cold atmosphere (and therefore it does remind me a lot to the French and/or Italian underground-scene, on top of the German one – Ivan). This is structural Chaos, Apocalyptic sweetness, a tasteful joy of brutality, obscurity and morbidity. A soundtrack for torture and vengeance, pain and hate, it is all this, it is all these wonderful presences of misanthropic beauty, it is a sonic orgasm of dirtiness and total annihilation. …makes me hungry, makes me horny… Creativity from their self-built definition, yet of the most unhappy kind… …it makes me happy! [one mistake: that pathetic, dumb outro…] 92/100 Ivan Tibos. |
