Nargaroth
Black Metal Ist Krieg

THE REVIEW

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.