Unless my one school-year of German fails me, “Heimweh” means Homesickness. Or maybe Nostalgia…actually, I’m sorry, it did fail me – I Googled it like everyone else will! No surprise though – in a whole year of study, all I seem to remember is “Lumpi ist mein hund, wo ist Lumpi?”, which unless I ever own a dog called Lumpi, and promptly lose him, then that phrase is not going to be much use to me. Yet if you were spending a long time in Germany then maybe “Heimweh”…and “Bier Bitte”…would probably get you through many a night in a bar. But that’s the English education system for you.
But enough of such musings, I have an album to review, and I only mention the whole German thing because…well, Black Messiah are German, but although on the surface their brand of Dark, Folk-tinged Pagan Metal may evoke images of Fjords and Longboats, when you delve deeper, there’s definitely a Teutonic Twist to them. And before anyone points out the bloody obvious, it’s not just because they sing in their native tongue! Obviously my ignorance of the German language dictates that the lyrical intricacies of the songs will elude me (Sadly for my limited knowledge, no mention of lost dogs…).
However, the intro is as Epic, Scandinavian and “Viking” as you could want! You can almost taste the ancient North Sea (not recommended nowadays – unless raw sewage holds special memories for you) as you chip the ice off your beard. Then we’re straight into the attention grabbing ‘In The Name Of Ancient Gods’ which immediately smacks of Amon Amarth – not bad company to be in – but there is more to Black Messiah than that. The first hints of Bavarian-style folk creep into the middle section and quite unexpectedly I detected a similar style guitar melody line to Helloween’s ‘Eagle Fly Free’ in it’s outro! Maybe not a comparison the band were hoping for, but personally I think it highlights how Black Messiah aren’t afraid to chuck in what they want. ‘Jötunheim’ also has Amon Amarth elements, but now the band are really starting to show their own style. I hear quite a bit of Kreator in the vocal style, and a growing amount of folk in the music – there’s many more traditional instruments scattered around over the double-kick onslaught. Unexpected time-changes enhance the whole package. Bier Bitte…
Remember that Bavarian influence I mentioned earlier? How about a verse in that style with a Speed Metal chorus? That would be ‘Wildsau’ then. So barking mad and alcohol-fuelled it would have Korpiklaani nodding in agreement! It’s not a throw-away ditty though, you’ve got to appreciate the excellent violin-work even if accordion isn’t your thing. This is the first time the vocals are varied too, something explored further on the mid-paced ‘Edmund von Ostanglien’ which has some low-sung vocals that give the opening couple of minutes a Bavarian Moonspell or Vision Bleak feel before it gallops off a couple of times for a Power/Speed Metal plunder over-layed with their harsher style vocal. ‘Nidhögg’ is similar in style to ‘Jötunheim’ – great time changes and an interesting arrangement, plus power and aggression. There is some excellent fiddle/violin work again, highlighting the talent that the band has for performance as well as song-writing. Quite unexpectedly, the title track utilises clean vocals on a heart-felt, slightly sombre drum-free song that has me thinking of Tyr – full of traditional orchestration, plus more fantastic violin and even a choir at the end! If ever I was going to hear a yearning “Wo Ist Lumpi??” it was destined to be here, but alas, no. The epic 8 minute ‘Die Quelle der Weisheit’ brings the album to fitting close. As well as having a hint of Bal Sagoth, it also incorporates many of the elements experienced previously on this record, but squashes them all together into a slightly darker, more reflective package. Some credible lead guitar is also on display, Amon Amarth get another look-in and then it’s all over.
Black Messiah are proof that The North (No, not Newcastle…) does not have a monopoly on Pagan/Folk Metal. They’re own take on this genre is both entertaining and interesting…and very enjoyable! Wo ist Lumpi? Wenn er clever ist, zu Hause ist er die Musik von Black Messiah spielen! Vielen Dank Google…
(7.5/10 Andy Barker)
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