“Ich weiß was du denkst.”
Austria’s black metal scene is one densely saturated with quality bands and a phenomenal variety of bleak and brutal soundscapes, but in this reviewer’s humble opinion, one act has stood head and shoulders above their contemparies almost since the moment of inception. Ellende (roughly translated from Middle High German to “exiled” and since repurposed in modern German to elend – “miserable”) has always been the brainchild of one Lukas Gosch – L.G. – who has consistently proven himself to be a remarkable talent even amongst a sea of solo black metal musicians who write and record all their own material, and whose previous output rivals any and all who choose to compare themselves. Active since 2011 and steadily releasing material since 2012’s debut EP Rückzug in Die Innerlichkeit, the band is still comprised entirely of L.G. for recordings – guitars, drums, piano, violin, you name it – but has also since expanded into a full-blown live act with a rotating cast of established names from the surrounding scene. A melting pot of melancholic and despairing DSBM blended tastefully with delicate orchestral elements (please note the very intentional lack of the word “symphonic” here), furious biting blastbeats and a strong sense of atmosphere and scale, Ellende’s releases over the last decade have firmly secured their position as one of the more creative yet still accessible black metal acts of recent times, and one that often has fans clamouring for new material. However, with latest release Todbringerin, we instead receive a fully re-recorded – and in places, reimagined – version of the band’s second full length album from 2016, Todbringer. Was this really necessary? No, probably not. Is it still worthy of your attention? Yes, absolutely.
Ellende have never shied away from revisiting, reworking, and updating older material. 2021’s Triebe contained not only re-recordings of “Weltennacht“ and “Zwischen Sommer Und Herbst” – originally released in 2014 – but also a sequel to its title track, somewhat predictably titled “Triebe II“. The leap in production quality that benefited this batch of songs has only been expanded and extended across the entirety of Todbringerin, and shows the true strength of an artist unafraid to explore the limitations of previous mediums that may not have showcased their art in the intended manner.
Starting off with a tender and delicate acoustic introduction, “Am Sterbebett Der Zeit“, and followed by live fan-favourite “Ballade Auf Den Tod” (please don’t ask me for all the English translations; there are only so many hours in a day), Todbringerin obviously follows closely the path set by its predecessor, and at this point in the record, dear listener, you may be thinking “I’ve heard this all before, where’s the new stuff?” and honestly I’d have a hard time disagreeing with you this early into our venture. While the sleek and glossy new production on these tracks and L.G.’s notable strides as a versatile and emotive vocalist since 2016 take centre stage for sure, the devil resolutely resides in the details. Small corrected errors here, a layer of additional synth and/or strings there, a tighter and thicker drum production everywhere, it all adds up to a more complete and enriched experience for the listener, and by extension the artist themselves – I very much doubt that Ellende are the kind of band for whom a full album re-recording is a worthy endeavour if they didn’t believe there was more to be said for and by these songs.
Around the album’s midpoint, that objective is made somewhat more clear – “Scherben“, once a nearly fiveteen minute mid-record epic, has been split into two neat halves, helpfully titled “Scherben Teil I“ and “Scherben Teil II “(I’m sure you can figure out that particular translation from context clues). At first glance this may seem a superficial difference, especially when this album is consumed as a whole piece, but it serves to segment the album into a more digestible experience and, somewhat antithetically, helps both halves of this once-whole track stand alone, and stronger for it. This sense of renewed purpose and vigor permeates the entire album, and at no point do any of these re-recorded songs falter or fail in comparison to their forebears.
It’s obvious that L.G. didn’t feel that 2016’s Todbringer captured these pieces in their requisite glory, and while revisiting them in their entirety may seem like a curveball this far into their career, I admire the singular determination and desire to ensure that these songs, this piece of art in its entirety, is not outshone by the glare of “new” material. Your tolerance and patience as a listener is entirely dependent on your own tastes and desire for something brand new, but personally I stand firmly behind any artist willing to admit that they didn’t quite correctly capture their vision the first time around, and put in the required effort to bring this album screaming (quite literally) into the modern era. If you are already a fan of Ellende, this LP may come as a bit of a disappointment simply due to the lack of new material. But for newcomers and older devotees willing to lend the band their well-earned amount of due leeway, there is plenty new to discover here.
“Lass mich atmen freiheit.”
7/10
Todbringerin releases August 30th via AOP Records and can be pre-ordered here.