Seltsame Erden (Strange Earths) hail from the town of Marburg, Hesse in Germany. The band/project was founded in 2019 by vocalist / guitarist L (Cloudbreaker, Nekus and Putridarium), and soon the lineup was completed by fellow comrades G and J (Into Coffin, Putridarium).
Their first release, the ‘Turmfall’ EP, followed in 2021 – as well as a few hand-picked live performances.
Sticking to the Teutonic Black Metal template of being steadfastly traditional and low-profile (or at least no-frills or unassuming), Seltsame Erden surely honored their native idiom with a stout, surging style of Black Metal that’s now fully blossomed on their debut album. Titlted ‘Gedankentempeln’, Setsame Erden’s first full-length was once again recorded in their remote bunker, deep in the Hessian woods.
As such, the austere and heavily hypnotic swarm of sound Seltsame Erden present here strikes against modernity and other prevailing trends in the “Black Metal” scene. While the authentically ’90s-rooted atmosphere touches upon the medieval, more so do the power-trio push their onrush of crush toward the minimal-is-maximal splendor of earliest Inquisition, Ondskapt, and even Grimfaug: movements of subtlety, detail, and plainly stated Power. However, the production itself – all recorded, mixed, and mastered by (((CYPHX-AUDIO))) – elevates Seltsame Erden to their own plateau populated by few, so mysteriously ethereal yet palpably physical is ‘Gedankentempeln’. The cover artwork by Belial NecroArts vividly illustrates this unique dichotomy.
Perversely “progressive” in its red-eyed regression, Seltsame Erden prove with that ‘Gedankentempeln’ that Black Metal’s “second reckoning” at the dawn of the new millennium was not lost upon newer generations.
Or so the pitch talk goes. Seriosly folks – what we have here is a raw, hypnotic Black Metal band. Their sound is heavily steeped in occultism, mysticism, and philosophical themes. The deep vocals are sinister and insidious, the music dark and menacing as can be heard on the tracks ‘Zwiegestalt’ and the slow dirge ‘Gedachtentempeln’.
Elusive synths color the music, rendering it even more bleak and otherworldly. Minimalist yet crushing riffs do their job in weaving a monolithic soundscape.
‘Gedankentempeln’ is quite the overwhelming experience – before you realise it, you’re completely submerged in the pitch-black music. Battering drums, avalanches of guitars and simple yet effective song writing lift this album way above the average.
Chaos Records from Mexico takes care of the CD, Italian label Canti Eretici does the cassette version.
I can’t think of one inferior track on this album. Sound and production are state of the state. The nightmarish dimension is very comprehensive and detailed. This is a very interesting and strong full-length debut – worth your time and effort. Check it out.
