Lacrimosa
Angst

The grace year 1990. A solitary German boy, Tilo Wolff, decides to unite his greatest artistic-musical passions: gothic rock and classical music. Tilo was not a sunny young man but, on the contrary, an extremely tormented and sensitive soul.

These characteristics led him to found, in that same year, a project with a resounding name, Lacrimosa, indeed.

If you are already familiar with the band and its pompous and orchestral leanings, forget for a moment eloquent albums like "Stille" or "Elodia". In this debut titled "Angst" (1991), the angelic voice of Anne Nurmi is missing, as are many sound elements that will make the group famous in the dark and metal panorama.

"Angst" can be described as a darkwave album but produced in a lo-fi manner.

But don't turn the page just yet!

Instead, try listening to the opening of "Seele In Not." Infinite darkness and sadness.

"Requiem" and "Lacrima Mosa" move along the same path, offering us icy moments of reflection and meditation.

"Der Ketzer" does not let any ray of light through. Still night darkness. The track opens with the voice of the Pope (John Paul II) and is an act of accusation against the church and its opulence. Years later, strange but true, Tilo Wolff will become a Christian.

Returning to the last tracks of this work: "Der letzte Hilfeschrei" is simply heartrending. A synth that simulates the heartbeat and an electrocardiogram. The end is near.

"Tränen der Existenzlosigkeit" closes the dark dances, a song at times dreamy. Synthesizer and piano, indeed, create an undeniably fascinating tableau.

As already written, these are not the canonical Lacrimosa. It must also be said that the album presents some flaws and more than one underlying naivety. Despite these "flaws," I found it beautiful and recommend it to all lovers of twilight sounds.

The only hurdle to approaching the work: the lyrics are all in the German language. But, if I did it, you can easily overlook this detail.