Third album for Urfeind.
Entitled Dauþalaikaz, it allows Skadwaz (guitar/vocals) and H. (bass) to celebrate the band’s tenth anniversary, and is released by Nine to Zero Productions.
The album kicks off with Thorns of Madness, where we discover the raw sound of furious vocals and piercing leads, and an oppressive atmosphere that at times becomes more majestic thanks to a few keyboards. The icy approach continues with The Fallen and its Old School tones, which the duo exploit at full speed before making them more soaring with the arrival of vocals and heady harmonics. Dissonant touches make the track darker, but it adopts almost ritualistic notes before the final, which leads to Serpent’s Flight and its immediate rage, tempered by more hypnotic moments of throbbing leads that eventually intertwine. The tenebrous waves resume with Weaving the Abyss, whose guitars are quite similar to the previous track, offering a more ethereal approach to this long, mystical composition that turns into a veritable invocation session on the final. A short silence allows us to regain our mind, then Hymn of Corruption darkens the atmosphere once again before turning ferocious once more, mixing screams and blasts on its imposing base before giving way to Nine to Zero, which uses the same suffocating elements and patterns to stun us. The rhythm suddenly comes to an end, leaving a final note to linger before Void absorbs it and pours out its darkness at full speed, mercilessly trampling everything in its path before finally ending for Anthem of Decay to replace it. The track is very different, focusing on slower, haunting patterns thanks to the many misty touches, then Inner Rampage speeds up the tempo, returning to icy savagery, but the sound transforms again and becomes hypnotic thanks to the guitars, before all are silenced.
Urfeind is a very dark project, wielding coldness and violence with a dissonant edge. Dauþalaikaz will have no trouble seducing Black Metal fans, whatever their preferences.
90/100
