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Steingrab – Fluch Der Ruhelosigkeit

steingrab – fluch der ruhelosigkeit

Info

‘Fluch Der Ruhelosigkeit’ is Steingrab’s sixth album (not counting, the live and compilation album, nor the first demo), making this one-man quite a prolific one. Though it was founded back in 2008 and the first demo appeared only a year later, it took Mahr, the sole member of the band, up till 2013 to come up with his first album. But, after that, he kept a steady working pace, presenting an album every few years.

While Mahr certainly has a good sense of composition and atmosphere when it comes to choosing album covers, he does show with this latest work that he is also capable of thinking (considerably) outside the box. The nature theme recurs on several albums, but seems most obvious on this cover. But don’t let it put you off, because when it comes to Steingrab’s music, we find the same ingenuity, sense of ambience and musical compositions.

In a strange and compelling way Mahr weaves together the very basics of Black Metal and Pagan Metal, which is by itself nothing new, on the contrary, but putting in extra elements taken out of Atmospheric Black Metal as well as Post-Black Metal. This slight progressive character of the music melts down to something that kind of feels like something that can be found in between bands like Horn, Stilla and mid-era Shining. Quite an odd thing to realise, but it actually works quite well. The German lyrics help to subconsciously place the music in the perspective of the German Black Metal scene, but in fact it has quite little of that.

At many moments, the atmospheric and well-placed piano pieces and acoustic guitar passages take the lead and set the mood, strongly contrasting with the rattling drums and snarling vocals. This adds to the atmospheric nature of the music as well as the pagan feel, this is also where the comparisons with Horn come in. However, similarities with bands like Drudkh or Kroda are not too far-fetched either. Finally, it has to be said that the whole comes into its own very well due to the beautifully clear and well-balanced production and mix.

All in all ‘Fluch Der Ruhelosigkeit’ is a very solid album that is extremely suitable for those who like their Black Metal well executed and with a Pagan/Folk sound.

Steingrab

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