Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Thorngoth - Rauhnacht (2008)


Germans Thorngoth have improved from Thelema of Destruction, this being their second album. Eight hymns of foreboding yet triumphant black metal, about as pure as you can get before being crushed into dust. Original they are not, but they have sharpened this blade to a fine edge.

"Curse Them" begins with a crushing wall of hostility, then collapses into a mid-paced Bathory groove with a tasteful lead. "Kill for Paradise" alternates between blasting black punk and slower, discordant Norse riffing. "Shiachperchten" has a savage yet longing bridge. "Der Wanderer" is your perfectly pure, mid-paced black metal glory. "Nihilistic Visions" begins with an acoustic lick, then an evil, driving track worthy of Marduk or Dark Funeral. "Salvation in Silence" is beautiful, with subtle leads, my favorite on the album after the first few listens. The final track "Still, von Ewigkeit" is a longing, slower piece, somber and fulfilling.

In the end, Rauhnacht oozes class. The album sounds fantastic, a balanced mix fully expressed in both the rhythm and leads. Akhorahil has a suitably daemonic rasp to marinate each track in evil. Yet, one can't help but feel that the album overall also emanates a profound sorrow. Along with recent Lunar Aurora, Dark Fortress, Eternity, Wolfsschrei, and others, one can't help but feel Germany is developing the most potent black metal scene in the world.

Verdict: Win (8/10)


http://www.thorngoth.de/

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