Imagine a post-apocalyptic world where bleak is the new normal. Foggy visions in a frozen landscape chase each other like so many icicles lined up in a row.
This sounds as oxymoronic as the band moniker Sun After Dark. And perhaps they should have called their outfit simply ‘Night’ or something. But the metaphor perfectly describes what went through the RMR crew’s mutual minds when listening to the piece.
So, meet Tatkraft1 and let its garbled waffling baffle your inner self. But stow these pills firmly away first. This whole chebang already sounds like substance abuse in sound format. Do not aggravate your case.
The moment the record started on us, we had a suspicion. This – thing felt like some offshoot of the Austro-Bavarian forest gang. And sure enough, the band hails from Rosenheim (a town in Bavaria not far from the Austrian border), so we’re told. Benjamin König‘s now defunct act, Lunar Aurora, hunted exactly those lonely woods in ways only Celtic Frost could explain. And he worked with a number of acts in the area to a greater or lesser extent. But it took him more than ten years to return into the metal fold in any meaningful manner. In other words, Tatkraft is new beginnings of sorts and sports a strange blend of metal genres somewhere in between Alcest and Waldgeflüster.
The first two tracks – Dawn And Dirges or Waidmanns Hoffnung – lean pretty heavily into Black Metal, but always with an atmospheric twist of sorts. The RMR crew loved the former’s raw-gone-progressive electronica lead, dissolving into some sort of pseudo-Gregorian chant-fueled Post Black piece. One that serves as a somewhat confused potpourri of what is to come later in the record. The latter, in contrast, leans heavily into its blackened backbone whilst lurching into sudden atmospheric and ambient musings in between. And both tracks gorge with a strong sense of gothic melancholy. A trait Sun After Dark return to often throughout Tatkraft.
And whilst both former tracks still were consistent to a point. Both Ohne Grab2 and Schlittenfahrt (sleigh ride) didn’t get as far. The tracks sport rough-hewn intros full of good ideas, yet later some dissonant incoherence takes over to the point that the different elements cease to make a lot of sense. And this despite Ohne Grab delivering some remnants of groove at certain points.
The tide changes yet again once Burning Blue hits the turntable. The RMR crew truly appreciated its Alcest-y vibes and more melodic approach. Here you finally get a song where all pieces fit together. Gone is that feeling of disjointed nonsense, and we got ourselves some flow. This track, together with the powerful, almost hypnotic Antarctic Morning, truly is the pièce de résistance of the play. A style gone full Post Metal with some wild excursion into what could have been Black Metal proper.
In the end, Tatkraft has a lot of promise, but is – at the same time – also a mixed bag of goodies. It appears the band had an abundance of ideas, but somehow forgot the need to string them all together with some coherence AND apply some sense of self-editing. And that saddled much of the production with a disjointed look and feel.
On the positive side, said ideas arrive on the turntable forged in the seething fire of oldish Black Metal. Yet, the delivery often happens in a juicy ‘n’ wild post-black setting. And all of that comes with a goodly portion of Gothic Metal featuring some pitch-black melancholy. Said differently, once the band sets its sights on Black Metal proper, there’s hellfire in their riffs and thundering wardrums, propped up by cranky yet powerful rasps. Once the shoe is on the other foot, those Batushka-leaning Gregorian chants will lead you into atmospheric country where wispy entities of terror will haunt your dreams.
Oh, and whoever in the promo department thought that this fare was for Rammstein fans needs to go back to basics. Meaning, strap them to a chair and make them listen to the full discography of Lindemann-o-mania. Or read this instead, which may be less painful.
Meanwhile, the RMR crew are already waiting for more of Sun After Dark. They got potential and will deliver next time. Fingers crossed.
Record Rating: 7/10 | Label: Hammerheart Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 13 June 2025