Another step forward for Nachtblut.
Almost five years after their last production, Skoll (drums), Greif (guitar), Askeroth (vocals) and Ablaz (bass) unveil Todschick, their seventh studio album, still accompanied by Napalm Records.
The album gets off to a rather theatrical start with Von Hass getrieben and its melancholic introduction, but soon the catchy riffs appear, followed by Askeroth‘s recognizable voice, which doesn’t hesitate to growl alone or in the company of backing vocals and keyboards. The tone changes when the eponymous composition, Todschick, comes into play, offering a danceable rhythm that immediately creates a contrast with the previous track, but also with Nachtgeweiht, the following track, which remains in its dark melancholy and adopts catchy Industrial roots. Symphonic touches make the sound quite majestic at times, then Das Leben Der Anderen offers us a moment of calm before returning to its half-modern, half-Old School approach sublimated by the German vocals. Manchmal Kommen Sie Wieder takes us by surprise with its hypnotizing synths, but the tone of the track is initially rather solemn before transforming into a heavier, even heady march, before handing over to the short, stirring Mein Ist Die Hölle, whose rhythm explodes quite often. The vocal parts are also much more strident, but the leads become unhealthy with Götterstille, a creation clearly rooted in Black Metal and its dissonance, which finds very different hues with its much freer keyboards. Madness continues with Kinder Des Zorns, where double kicks and bloody harmonics meet terrifying screams that fuel the latent aggression, before returning to softer tones on Stirb Langsam, which seems infused with Folk Metal. The rest of the track confirms this, making it quite accessible, and then the album comes to a close with Schneller Als Der Tod, where the band offer us a veritable Gothic western shaken with more intense passages, but also softened by some very airy moments.
Although still relatively unknown in our country, Nachtblut‘s style is gradually gaining ground. Todschick is a highly rhythmic and varied album that is sure to satisfy fans of Gothic Metal taken to the extreme!
90/100
Interview coming soon.