(Napalm Records)
Total Time: 61:18
FINSTERFORST or, from now on my BELOVED FINSTERFORST, are coming from Germany. Formed in 2004, so far and including the album for which we will write today, have two EPs and five full length albums. Their fifth album is called “Zerfall” and let’s see what is all about…
Seeing the album’s tracklist, I immediately thought that it is a small album (and as it appeared a bit later I was mistaken). That was until I saw the song lengths. The shortest song is 8:07’’ and the longest at 36:28’’! Before you take a step back and say that the songs are huge, I dare you to reconsider. Yes, common sense dictates that long songs tend to make the listener bored, but think again. What we have here, is not a common folk (or pagan if you like) black metal album. What we have here is an OPUS! In all the years I listen to music, with all the new stuff being released every month, it is difficult for a new release to make me jump from my seat. Well, this diamond did it!
Fans of MANEGARM, PRIMORDIAL, SOLSTAFIR, MOONSORROW, FALKENBACH and other similar bands, go for it ASAP and WITHOUT second thoughts. A band a lot different from their earlier albums, in which the style was more melodic and more ENSIFERUM oriented, managed throughout their other 4 albums to mature if I can put it like this. Clean vocals, harsh vocals, incredible atmospheric keyboards, solos not played just to be played, flutes, hurdy-gurdy (if I am not mistaken) and all that in fast songs, slow songs that they made break my neck headbanging and “haunting” melodies. Why haunting some of you may ask. Just take a look at the cover artwork. A King with his Queen, emaciated, with a hint of an also dead baby in her womb, hand in hand, with their deserted kingdom in the background, where only Death reigns. Close your eyes and if your don’t find yourselves in this kingdom, listening to this album and especially the last song (the 36:28 one), then all this text’s worth is simply nothing. Plain and simple.
Without many words. No reason for delays. Buy it, listen to it, let it get inside you but no matter what you do, DO NOT NEGLECT IT!!!
8,5/10
Nick “Yngve” Samios
Related Link: FINSTERFORST – Official Page
