ENTARTUNG
Maleficae Artes
(Dunkelheit Produktionen)
40:42min

ENTARTUNG from Germany are already active since nearly a decade now and return with full-length number four entitled “Maleficae Artes” via Dunkelheit Produktionen. The opener ‘Tower Of Silence‘ immediately takes the listener back to the early 90s as the track is pretty much influenced by the ancient Norwegian scene. While in the 90s all was about sounding as simple and raw as possible, ENTARTUNG takes these influences and incorporate them very clever into a modern soundscape with far more details, good riffing and variation in speed. Also the length of the track helps them to build up a good atmosphere without interruptions due to cuts of songs. ‘Bortförd‘ and ‘Aufruhr MDXXV‘ both stand out and show a different side of their sound and a development into a less raw direction with more love for details and ambient approaches. Especially the acoustic strings sound very natural and enrich the tracks very much. I wouldn’t go so far to call it Folk, but ambient definitely is the right word to describe the taken direction. Also some careful used keyboards help to create a deeper atmosphere without sounding wimpy at all. It just shows that Black Metal is changing nowadays in a more technical and ambient direction without denying the roots. Also the raw vocal work keeps the tracks dirty and brutal but varied with screams und sung passages here and there, ENTARTUNG did their best to vary this area as well. “Maleficae Artes” is a good example how raw Black Metal should sound nowadays and that acoustic interludes and open minded use of various instruments can vary and enrich the whole atmosphere. Rounded off by a very good and raw production and an even better cover artwork the album is definitely worth to check for Black Metal lunatics. For more info, please check the following sources: www.facebook.com/entartung, www.dunkelheit-produktionen.de

Michael Kujawska

Michael Kujawska

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