Ellende is on our minds a lot these days. Todbringerin is their newest record and it’s ear-catching. And to no-one’s surprise, it messed up our turntables for way too long. A style we have trouble resisting, even if the doom ‘n’ gloom can weigh heavily on one’s soul.
And speaking about which. Lo and behold, out of nowhere Weltenbrandt loudly made its presence known. Yet another band wallowing in the murky depths of an almost gothic sadboi melancholy that roars forth in some established blackened splendor. An underground band that only the initiated will recognize. But then, mainstream fame never hooked the RMR crew too much. More to the contrary.
You might have guessed it. Transzendenz Schatten Romantik won’t reinvent the Wheel ov Melancholic Black Metal. Instead, it wallows in the misty woes of the aforementioned Ellende with a large serving of Varg.1 Darkly ominous Black Metal filled with tremendous atmospherics, full of doom ‘n’ gloom and haunted by rasps, snarls, and anguished screams that seamlessly embed into thundering melodies and harmonies.
Haunting piano interludes, weeping strings, and the occasional female sample compete with blistering riffs and tremendously powerful musical tableaux. If you’re unsure what we mean by that, just visualize the album cover and imagine it in a musical setting. Forest Metal à la Waldgeflüster filled with darkly sinister and portentous magick. That should about do the trick.
Interestingly, Transzendenz Schatten Romantik sports a significant number of guest musicians on vocal duty. As – for example – Ellende’s2 L.G. (Lukas Gosch) on Tiefste Rast. Or I.I. Frühlingsbringer3 from Karg and Harakiri from the Ski on Prana. And that leads to a richly embroidered vocal style mesh that strangely coalesces into a coherently tasty alloy.
You’ll also find little nuggets like Broken Cross that would stand proud alongside any of Varg’s flagship cuts. The dreamy Resilienz with its stellar lead, scathing riffs, and haunting strings never quite left the building over here. The Tethra-esque vibes of Vergängnisdenkmal fittingly disintegrate into some female monologue amidst some of the feistiest guitar work on this record. In other words, Weltenbrandt sent us some astoundingly powerful slabs of pagan-ish metal.
But despite all those juicy elements, Transzendenz Schatten Romantik failed to juice up the gears and cogs of our music machine the way they should have over at the RMR Office Tower. In contrast, the band’s 2018 epic Schöpfung was harsh, harrowing, acidly powerful, and often felt like some nasty rusty knife somehow scraping down your back. A rough ‘n’ dirty piece of juicy atmospherics delivered with ferocity and gusto. In contrast, the unwieldily named Transzendenz tries too hard to cozy up to known masters. The soundscapes are indeed lush and rich in ever-changing details. The interludes won’t gripe and a discreet yet powerful flow flourishes on a well-chiseled production installed itself. The record is – however – much of the same muchness, full of sounds and flavors we heard before somewhere.
But despite all that critique, Transzendenz Schatten Romantik might just have avoided the sophomore slump. Adepts of the Bavarian and Austrian Forest Metal gang will surely find a lot to like on this album. The record is captivating, merciless, relentless, richly powerful, and full down atmospheric doom road. It is after all hauntingly beautiful in a harsh and captivating way. However, to get to greatness, the band will need to kick it up a few notches and find their own footpaths in that rocky jungle of theirs. The known ones start to be overused already.
Ed’s note: This record got a mention on the Malevolent 2024 Series. Check it out.
Record Rating: 7/10 | Label: Self-Released | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 25 August 2024