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Rating: First of all, Nargaroth, the German one-man band of the enigmatic Kanwulf, represents one of the first Central European black metal acts, formed back in the distant 1989.
It's never easy to describe in a few lines a work that comes from such personal minds in their way of living existence, and when it comes to Kanwulf, it becomes even more complex; indeed, he is one of the most reclusive and reserved figures on the scene – I think the interviews he has given can be counted on one hand – and perhaps it's precisely this isolation that makes his works so heartfelt and full of meaning. "Black Metal Ist Krieg" – black metal is war – from 2001, represents the fourth studio effort (excluding demos) of the band, and it's seen by the frontman himself as a sort of tribute to the Northern European movement.
The album opens with a rather canonical intro in the proposed genre, then gives way to the monolithic title track, a very violent piece, where the sparse voice of the singer gives its best. "Far beyond the stars", a cover song by Azhubuam Haani, hints at some more melody but remains heavy on fairly paced rhythms.
It's time for "Seven tears are flowing to the river", a beautiful piece, with unique melancholy, nearing a quarter of an hour in length and never tiring, undoubtedly one of the best tracks on the album… "I burn for you", a Lord Foul cover, is a brief black metal song pleasantly repetitive where once again Kanwulf showcases, if nothing else, very resilient vocal cords; "The day Burzum killed Mayhem" is already understood from the title, a piece of about ten minutes with a particularly bitter and nostalgic flavor that opens with news reports from that cursed morning… a canonical but intelligent song.
The tension drops again with a cover by Root, written in a Central European language not better specified but very similar to Romanian and Slavic, very short but featuring a truly "groovy" riff, if I can use the term for a black metal song… Another ten minutes of music come from "Amarok-Zorn des lammes III" where even the first verse is sung by two clean voices, one male and one female. "Erik, may you rape the angels", dedicated to friend Erik Brodreskift, Immortal's drummer who committed suicide in 1999, is another melancholic and nostalgic song that speaks of the illustrious deaths within the most grief-stricken metal scene.
The last cover of the album is "The Gates of Eternity" by Moonblood, a classic black song with not too fast rhythms at first, then speeding up in the second part; it all closes with "Possessed by black fucking metal" a true anthem to the genre where Darkthrone's influences in the riffing and rhythm can be noticed.
'Black Metal Ist Krieg' is a fundamental album not only for its explicit beauty but also for its intrinsic meanings, rich in reflections from the artist who expresses all his anger and sadness in a work complete from every point of view, from the surprisingly curated packaging to the substance already described.
This one-hour and ten-minute disc represents for me a milestone of the genre, a must for enthusiasts, and I do not exclude that some riff might appeal even to the uninitiated. Highly recommended listening, at least to realize that true black metal does not exist only in Norway and that feelings can be perfectly expressed even while playing an extreme genre.
Tracklist and Lyrics
02 The Gates Of Eternity (05:06)
The Gates of Eternity are open
And they'll be eternity
Try to run without fear of the gate
Death awaits you
Try to run to the woods, from the gates of eternity
Their life will never end
You are trapped here forever
You can never leave this world
You can never move to the master
The offering, the sounding
Trapped in the world of darkness
In the realm of ruin
Open the dimension of eternity
04 Black Metal Ist Krieg (05:03)
Black Metal ist Krieg!
Black Metal ist Krieg!
Black fucking Metal ist Krieg!
Black...
Black Metal ist Krieg!
Black fucking Metal ist Krieg!
Black Metal ist Krieg!
Black...
Black Metal ist Krieg!
Ihr Wichser, es ist Krieg!
Black Metal!
Black...
Black Metal ist Krieg!
Black Metal ist Krieg!
Black...
Black...
Black Metal ist Krieg!
Fuck, Metal ist Krieg!
Black Metal!
Black...
Black Metal ist Krieg!
Black fucking Metal ist Krieg!
Black Metal ist Krieg!
Krieg...
Ihr Wichser, es ist Krieg!
Black Metal ist Krieg!
Ihr Wichser...
Krieg...
Krieg...
Black Metal ist Krieg!
Black fucking Metal ist Krieg!
Krieg...
Fuck you!
Krieg, es ist Krieg!
Black Metal ist Krieg!
Krieg...
Ihr Wichser, Krieg!
Es ist Krieg!
Black Metal ist Krieg ...
07 I Burn For You (02:58)
5. I Burn For You
[Lord Foul Cover]
Blood flows, I utter thy name
Beloved Lord - I bleed for thee
Hang me upon thy cursed hook
Spit at me for I have failed
I die for your amusement
Brandish me the failure
My life I live to burn
Scald me with your fire
I burn for you
10 Amarok - Zorn Des Lammes III (09:33)
I have seen the wrath of the land,
as I wandered like a wolf among the sheep.
I was a part of the wrath of the lamb,
so I am a part of the wolf.
Oh I am the wolf, oh I am the lamb,
so I am (fuck) Satan and I'm (fuck) God.
Call me now judas or call me insane,
I am what I am, I'm just a men/man.
Call me now judas or call me insane,
I am what I am, I'm just a men/man.
Fuck yeah, arrghh...
I am a men/man.
11 Erik, May You Rape The Angels (07:01)
Brothers fall, day by day.
DEAD was first "and all others followed".
But now, another warrior has gone
into the reaven realm of darkness.
Erik, did you found what you lost:
your own god?
Erik, did you make your own realm
and your peace?
Erik, was it time, was it time ach' to die?
I could hear the demons cry
upon the place where this demons fly...
And when I hallucinate the older days I hear
You.
And when I hallicunate the older times I see
You.
And when I will go on, I will keep you in my
Mind.
You will be forever in and forever around my
Heart.
Erik, May you rape the angels!
Erik, may you be your own tragedy!
Erik,
May I die to get up so high
to be with you where the demons fly.
To walk the shadows,
to walk the night,
to run the hills with a Slipnier ride.
I have never seen the lonely stars shine so bright,
since you has died.
And if you hear my cry run spheres,
you know you will be in my heart.
Remember Grimm
Grimm
Grimm
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