Remakes only sparsely grace our review pipe. There must be a couple at best, and that’s for good reason. Usually, the RMR crew prefers the raw material, the stuff that came before, the real thing. And not some crazy-ass remix with – Loki forbid – some atrocious synth-pop elements added for fun. You get all kinds, y’know, and not everything is pretty.
But – as always – exceptions do apply and Ellende is one of them. Since the 2022 piece Ellenbogengesellschaft hit our turntables, the RMR crew holds this artist in the highest esteem. Thus, Todbringerin will get a shot over here. And it is indeed a remake (not just a re-issue) of the 2016 piece Todbringer that – for technical reasons – needed to be rerecorded.
And that can only bring improvement, right? Todbringer of 2016’s somewhat skeletal source material suffered from overly lengthy passages and a mix that always reminded us of a slightly botched Agrypnie record. Vibes that harken back to the age-old Atmospheric Black Metal pieces à la Caladan Brood or – again – Summoning. In other words, Ellende here did their best to drown their fans in this trademark lo-fi sound of long-gone times. And that kinda made you wonder when the next good turn would come. Now, I don’t expect wonders in that department, it is old material Lukas Gosch aka L.G. is working with.
Given the nature of this here new project, Todbringerin will – unsurprisingly – not deny its origins. But methinks that Gosch saw the signs of the times and heard the often harsh feedback about his former pieces of work. So, this here remake brought us much of the meatiness Ellenbogengesellschaft excelled in. Gone are the frugal structures brought to us by the downcast cello-addicted skeleton on the Todbringer album cover. And in comes a rich tapestry of melancholy-laden sounds and flavors swirling around death and dying.
Todbringerin is an astute and established piece. Remnants of Atmospheric Black Metal of olden times chase bereft haunting soundscapes that reach deep into those territories where some deft doom black dwells. The post-black, tear-drenched piano intro (Am Sterbebett der Zeit)1 won’t leave you for the duration of the record. Even if the excellent Ballade auf den Tod valiantly tries to get you out of your stupor with the harp/wind instrument dual entry. And this is when L.G.s vile rasp first appears amidst a jarring set of tremolos. Compared to its older skeletal brother, Todbringerin really puts some true menace into the tune, added spice that yet again gets the record these earthy vibes of the German-speaking Forest Metal brigade.
The record indeed shines with a refreshing ebb and flow of high-octane Black Metal and those post black passages with their melancholic twist. Revisiting chords, throwing in similar riffs, and dark and ominous acoustics, all contribute to a haunting atmosphere that seems to smear your sweaty skin with an oily film. You’ll get the ghostly choir again and more majestic mid-tempo tremolos in Verehrung. Which descend in abject desperation once the Scherben series kicks in.
The RMR crew marveled at the artful arrangement that lets the rasps, snarls, screams, terrible whispers, and monologues soar to the front of the mix. Gone are the all-too-blatant references to Bathory and his sinners, and in comes this terror, this wide-eyed horror of everything connected to the Grim Reaper. And what was lo-fi on the 2016 piece is now full in the open with no filters.
Todbringerin doesn’t contain many miscarriages. The simplistic Verachtung turned into a boring, somewhat repetitive track. And yet, you will get some refreshing energy out of it. Some rough edges and stutters in the usually pretty snazzy flow won’t quite help matters (Scherben Teil II, for instance). But all those points are small quibbles compared to the grandiose and often cathedral delivery.
In the end, Todbringerin turned into a revelation. The cut-and-paste operation that the RMR crew feared didn’t quite happen. Instead, we got ourselves an improved remake unwilling to repeat the mistakes of the past. And whilst you can indeed rehash old material only so much, Ellende yet again handed us an excellent slab of snazzy artistry. Not the easiest fare, mind you, but we got ourselves a chunk of juicy Black Metal savvy enough to please fans from outside the usual crowd of fanbois and girls. And that’s a feat the folks over at Ellende pulled off to perfection.
Ed’s note: ‘Tis the year of succulent doomy black metal. Try some more. Or have a go at the Malevolent 2024 Series. This band’s on it.
Record Rating: 8/10 | Label: AOP Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 30 August 2024
- At the deathbed of time.-↩