Streams of Blood comes back to haunt us.
Created in 2009 by Thymos (vocals/guitar, Krÿs, ex-Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult), the man recruits a first line-up and releases a first EP the same year. The line-up is subject to changes, but since 2014, Terrorin (drums, Lilith’s Breed, ex-Darkest Horizon) plays with him. Erløsung, the band’s fourth album, is released in 2020.
We will notice some guest appearance, like ArdathBey (Chant of Blasphemy, Rest in Torture, ex-Wintarnaht) on ambiances and Seroque on lead guitar.
Streams of Blood picks into Black Metal roots to compose its music, and it’s impossible not to feel it. Freitodmaschine, the first song, instantly proves it thanks to this martial rhythmic with impenetrable blast. The singer’s gruesome howlings invite themselves to the melting, that softens while staying dark, just like Declaration, the next song. Shrilling riffs melt to massive drums, then the track tends to be softer, while keeping oppressive tones. The long Die Ablehnung (Das Opfer) follows this pattern with slow and weighing riffs, madness and above all those unhealthy Old School sonorities that strengthen until exploding. Violence surfaces again Nychts, a fast and melodic track that also keeps this dark mystical dimension. Some very airy parts wonderfully link both universes.
We continue with Days of Immortality, a very weighing song. Whether the rhythmic is quite slow, this oppressive atmosphere calls for some rashes of raw strength, while Xanor (vocal) accompanies the vocalist to pour its rage. The atmospheric The Complex is next, with an airy but sometimes violent rhythmic, dissonance staying the main element. The song’s blackness leads us to Pigture, a very raw and fast song, on which the piercing howlings of Krámpn (Alpgeist, Drudensang…) alight. This vocal duo is both outstanding but extremely oppressing, just like the final solo from Bastian Kraus (Betrayal). Impressive sounds come back for The Herd, the last song, and even if some breaks allow us to breathe, the rhythmic is suffocating.
This Streams of Blood album marks the band’s comeback. If Erløsung is a very good Black Metal album, it multiplies influences thanks to the richness guests bring to songs, in addition to capture the band’s very own essence thanks to its members creativity.
85/100
