A double-tap, that’s what Waldgeflüster had in mind this time. Knochengesänge (bone chants), they called their newest piece of art. A tandem going for a whopping 109 minutes of airtime. That’s usually a no-go for this crew. But hey, the things we do for the Forest Metal gang. We just hope that they got a good compass; these are vast wooded wastes out there. And you surely wouldn’t want to get lost out there. Else, some evil witch, Bruder Hain1, or Rübezahl will get you just good. And you won’t get out of there anymore.
2021’s Dahoam2 was the last time Waldgeflüster manifested itself over at the RMR Review Desk. The piece was a mixed bag of miscellaneous items, some of which were better than others. But by and large, the tracks did convey that sense of majestic mountaineous countryside and a sense of awe. Rough-hewn, often acidly scratchy, but at least you got that sense of the Tatzlwurm3, alright.
Now, Knochengesänge here is a totally different story. Gone is the playfulness, if one can call it that. And in comes, a wretched melancholy on steroids that leans almost too far into atmospheric doom for our taste. Wild, untamed, and often deliciously uneven, Knochengesänge appears to be a force unto itself. A self-reflection that takes no prisoners and – for sure – without giving a hoot to the sensibilities of the fan crowd trying to make sense of it all. In fact, even da master hisself stated that he isn’t sure to – and I quote – “…understand this record in its entirety.” Well then. Quo vadis, Waldgeflüster? Lost in the woods? Not a good idea with the aforementioned Bruder Hain breathing down your neck.
Waldgeflüster stuck with basic yet heavily atmospherically challenged Black Metal. Only that this time, the esteemed listeners gets an austere version of what came before. There is true emotion in the grimy musings the band’s merciless wall of sound throws at you. It is also noteworthy that Panopticon‘s Austin L. Lunn again participated in the making of this record, specifically on Krähenpsalme. In a way, a lot of the sturdier and more ‘traditional’ material sounds like some weird mix of the caustic airs of Agrypnie and the more refined machinations Saor usually brings to the turntable. Whereas the acoustic Post Metal and Folk parts have a confusing tendency to gripe. But more to that later.
Now, Waldeflüster decided to issue Knochengesänge in two distinct parts for some reason. And that is why RMR will break tradition and comment on each portion of the record separately below.
Part I
This first installment gets you more traditional metal fare. Starting with Krähenpsalme and Lunn’s vocals, you’re greeted with full melancholic immersion right off the bat. And already, the relentless wall of sound throws everything to the forefront at once. True, this is somewhat embedded in the art of the trade. But use the sledgehammer too many times on the audience and their brains will switch off after a while. And that will inevitably kill the (positive) reception of otherwise remarkable tracks with merit.
Bamberg, 20. Juni is one of these tracks. You have the friggin’ chugging of the guitars straight up front with the vocalists yelling – something intelligible in the background. And that pretty much destroys a track that would otherwise be at its melancholic and metallic best. Albeit, there are some rays of sunlight in Waldgeflüster‘s ominous musings. Knochengesang – for instance – gets you some sort of an underwater groove, neat riffing, and arrangement that plays well into material this band dispersed earlier.4 The rest of the songs got a mixed reception over at the Review Desk.
Part II
This second part is somewhat confusing. These tracks are by the band’s own words, derivatives of the former tracklist. Not acoustic versions of the same, but reinvented ideas. Meaning, same or similar themes revisited. But alas, methinks the solid concept that should exist behind such an endeavor lost itself somewhere in the greenery of the Bavarian jungle. Helter-skelter is the approach, kinda without a compass, and the outcome turned into a particularly gritty mixed bag to say the least.
This whole gaggle of tracks sounds as if the author went ahead with whatever went through his mind at the time. Some with a folky focus, others moving into some sort of alt-country direction, delivered with an atrocious Teutonically-tainted accent. And a bit like Panopticon did lately, this leaves you with a strange assembly of items, none of which really make sense. Albeit that Singing of Bones5 and The Parting Glass truly have merit, flow, and some curious country-home charm coming straight from the wild lands of the Bavarian outback.
Famous last words…
Ultimately, Knochengesänge turned into an authentic piece of genuine emotion and a sincere sense of purpose. A purpose that wants to tell a story of life and its ultimate demise. Furthermore, Waldgeflüster dedicated this work to a recently departed friend, which probably led to the palpable melancholy and despair openly present on this here album. On the other hand, the spotty production and undue length, the obvious lack of attention to the mix that the master couldn’t fix, the urge to scream about whatever bubbled to the forefront helter-skelter pulled the genuine quality of this record far, far down. And that is a true pity because there is enough good material here to distill a great record out of it.
It is precisely this lack of self-editing and kicking this whole gaggle of ditties into shape that made the RMR crew pull back from Knochengesänge. And I don’t think we will return to this particular piece anytime soon.
Record Rating: 5/10 | Label: AOP Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 7 November 2025
- The Odd Footnote!
- The grim reaper in person.-↩
- ‘At home’, in Bavarian speak. You gotta be real good at German to understand this.-↩
- A mythical creature but also a natural feature in Bavaria.-↩
- ‘Tis the only track with a straight individual rating of 8/10.-↩
- What a terrible translation of the original title. Terrible but also ominously telling on the record as a whole. -Ed.-↩