Any modern management nerds around here? I got the perfect team-building case study for you. Meet Bergthron.1 A German Nature Metal act, created in 1994 and unleashing new albums occasionally. Very occasionally. Meaning, their last record aired back in 2010. That’s nothing extraordinary so far, agreed. Apart from the fact that the RMR crew – unsurprisingly – never heard of them.
But here it comes: Seemingly in search of their perfect sound, this band of brothers went on seven (7) expeditions from the endless forests to the Arctic Circle over the last decades. And upon their return, Bergthron huddled some more and concocted some weird rock and metal to document their seemingly surreal experiences. The newest outcome is Neu Asen Land, one of the weirdest out-of-the-box experiences on RMR to date.
So, take heed, you mgmt geeks! Here’s some fodder for you to torment your unsuspecting teams some more. It will make you feel like the Lightbringer on a mission.2 So, let ’em roar, shall we? Perhaps we’ll suddenly see a surge of corporate amateur bands with frosty themes. Who knows?
Raw, gnarly, wild, raspy, and straight in your face. That’s how Neu Asen Land3 comes along. Bergthron took the wisdom garnered during their many forays into strange lands and concocted their very own sound devoid of the usual constraints. An astute selection of crude rock and metal in the form of some sort of blackened Avantgarde Metal fare with enough tuned-down atmospherics to please even the sturdiest souls.
Neu Asen Land commences with an eerie earthy mix, full of references to Wardruna and Heilung. And in this sense, Skandinavische Expansion proved to be the perfect introduction. Some – thing that seems to describe an expedition ultimately leading to disaster in the arctic cold. The title track already steps into this savage spirit. The band went out of their way to ensure that no ‘modern influences’ would intrude into this new concoction.
And sure enough, their style much resembles a mix of early Borknagar and some primeval and skeletal version of the howling Scots of Saor. The whole record is a rough-hewn and no-frills affair devoid of the refined delights of contemporary metal songsmithing. No spiffy solos or over-elaborated riffs will grace your ears. Nor will the raspy roar of the vocalist and the somewhat disheveled croaky group chanting win any song contests any time soon. Astonishingly crafted breakdowns into other styles? Negative! And honestly, the band never meant to inject the usual load of frippery into their concoction. But don’t believe me, just look at the attached band pic and tell me what you see.
Instead, New Asen Land will deliver its tale straight from the proverbial horse. Or more, straight out of the rich experience of Bergthron‘s ‘Naturburschen’.4 You can actually feel genuine emotion and strain at times. Craggy songwriting will scrape along your eardrums with a rapid-fire change of moods, emotive moments, and flavors. And the band packed everything into their newest piece. From post metal-esque Black Metal musings, over a ton of atmospherics and mystique, to pretty technical progressive vibes, these guys have it down pat. Now, if you feel the urge to find out what New Asen Land stands for, try Horizont in Flammen for starters. Else, consult with Aufbruch nach Neu Asen Land and its wild groove. Or enjoy the crossing of the Hades with the SYG:AR:TYR-esque Skaldenruhm erstarrt in Zeit.
Bergthron feared that to start afresh after a decade-long wait was – and I quote – “…nearly impossible, probably doomed to fail.” Well, I beg to differ. Neu Asen Land truly reflects the cold, savage lands and hardship avid outdoorsmen will encounter. The scratchy barebone style of metal and rock perfectly projects pictures of those arid lands into the listeners’ minds. The band achieved this with an unconstrained and often moody offering. And this resulted in a rich smörgåsbord of metallic, post-metal, and ambient objects that often move diametrically opposed to the usual metal mainstream. Scratchy, wild, and crude at times, but still damn good.
Mission fully accomplished.
Ed’s note: And, drumroll! Here’s to another outfit making it onto our 2025 lamestream n00b list. Congrats!
Record Rating: 7/10 | Label: Trollzorn Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 6 January 2025