Firstly I love the album artwork adorning this German bands seventh album, who I was completely unfamiliar with until now. The cover sums up the epic styling that Minas Morgul have in every one of their songs, capturing an emotive pulsing ethos you cannot fail to be taken along with. Added to that the band has drafted in Equilibrium vocalist Robse which makes the songs sound that much more anthem driven with his diverse toning.
With a dramatic elongated intro piece titled ‘Prolog: Sturm Aus Ost’ the scene is being set out before you as the title track thrusts in like a sword. The emotive passionate riffing is backed by such a cool sense of groove on all the songs. Whilst predominantly melodic black metal there is something about this German act that pushes them above their contemporaries, whether it’s through the caustic blackness or the pagan like traits created via the bouncing style and keyboard additions these songs embed into the head with ease.
Those keyboards really add a sense of theatre to the album, not in a cheesy or tacky way but embellish the songs with a huge sense of bravado embodied in songs like ‘Niedergang’ and the immense ‘Teufel’. Both songs lift the mood skywards yet retain a corrosive blackened backdrop at all times. ‘Teufel’ especially is extremely catchy and is followed by the exceptional ‘Weltenfall’. I cannot overstate just how addictive these songs are, you can feel yourself being elevated by the pulsing aura as this tune opens with moody acoustic guitar. The progressive build-up is expected of course, but is no less enthralling as the subtle pace changes enhance that sense of groove, particularly with the double kick incursions which the band add at perfect moments to augment the intensity.
There are obvious references to bands like their compatriots Varg but also other epic metal bands like King Of Asgard, Equilibrium and to some extent Havukruunu due to the teeming atmospherics that are fixed into every song. ‘Totenschiff’ is tremendously catchy possessing that anthemic drive I’ve mentioned as the album smoothly flows towards ‘V’F’. The moodier opening is eerie to some degree as the song works its way to the colossal double bass that smashes in like a bazooka bombardment. There are no dull moments here, each track offering its own guileful catchiness as ‘Dein Erwachen’ again has that catchy posturing. In places it conjured images of running headstrong into battle, through dense forests as the vocals taken on a slight croaky style amidst the rousing style that dominates throughout.
The closer is ‘Epilog: Tiefe Narben’ a prolonged piece that creates that finale styling as though you are recovering from that said battle. Whilst I’ve only heard the odd track from the bands last album ‘Kult’ it is clear to me that Minas Morgul has shifted their focus, writing more upbeat melodic fist pumping tracks you can fully immerse yourself in, raise a vessel filled with your favourite beverage and celebrate an album that gallops along, instils moodiness when required but most importantly is saturated with cracking songs.
(9/10 Martin Harris)
Leave a Reply