With a name referencing one of the biggest fortresses in world of Middle Earth, a casual observer would assume that Germany’s Minas Morgul are a band obsessed with Tolkien and have songs laden with adventure, magic, and epic battle scenes. Though, after more than a quarter of a century on the road, I think it’s safe to say that these guys have had their fair share of songs about the War of the Ring and the hundreds of other magical conflicts and have now settled on exploring the pagan side of mainland Europe’s black metal milieu.
Nebelung is an album that is memorable for having some epic arrangements similar to the symphonies of many classic German composers but retains a melodic yet vicious streak that balances violent percussion with serious strings.
The band’s eighth release – the first I’ve heard from them – is one that contains more than meets the eye if you like to go by what you seen in a band’s logo and artwork. There’s nothing militant or war-related from what the logo might tell but the misty forest tells of the darkness and nature-related pagan teachings that have found their way into the band’s output.
What stood out most among the dissonance was the spoken word recordings in the band’s native tongue which piqued my curiosity and wanted me to know more about Minas Morgul’s output. I wouldn’t say this was a “ritualistic black metal” release as the songs don’t intertwine like a worship routine but there are many crescendos and speeding blends that make you think of a druid/shaman working a magical spell.
Overall, Nebelung isn’t a mind-blowing release but it’s a decent outing from a band who found their signature sound in yesteryear and have kept it ablaze. Minas Morgul are not one of the more renowned German black metal bands so best to check them out if you’ve moved on from big names like Nargaroth and want to see what the most famous nation of western Europe offers the black metal underground.
(7/10 Demitri Levantis)
Leave a Reply