Fourth mischief for Eisenkult.
Two years after their last album, Baptist (guitar/bass/keyboards/vocals, Mavorim, Atronos), Valfor (drums, Asenheim, Mavorim, Totenwache) and Tiwaz (vocals, Asenheim) continue their adventure on Purity Through Fire with Die Hölle ist hier.
Vigil opens with a fairly calm melody, followed by a few words in German that become increasingly ominous as time goes by, until finally they stop and let Ich wünsch’ mir alles weg introduce saturation and howling. The melodies are quite dark, but the track is still quite accessible, while Der Teufel selbst draws on the virulent roots of sharp and vivid Black Metal, softened once again by heady, relatively surprising keyboards that transform the atmosphere. Die Asche eines Engels, in turn, hypnotizes us before striking with an icy, throbbing sound that at times turns into sharp jolts, but gives way to a very strange final before rejoining Hassgesang where the guitar welcomes us into quietude. The tone of the track remains fairly soothing until the central break sets the world alight, provoking a return to rage with relatively majestic tones until the finale which leads us to Die Hölle ist hier and its solid rhythm, but which doesn’t hesitate to break to let the harmonics accompany the morbid growls. The riffs become wilder again before finally letting us wander to Von Gott gehasst, which once again mixes raw riffs adorned with roars and much more subtle touches of keyboards or backing vocals, providing contrast before Kreuzböser Dämon turns into a real moment where headbanging seems inevitable. Quite simple yet highly effective, the composition accelerates steadily before giving way to Töte mich’s calm introduction which eventually fades away and gives way to darkness once more, without however really disappearing from this long track and subtly infusing it on the final wave. Eine Handvoll Nägel then follows, pouring out all its fury at high speed, sometimes even when the keyboards try to offer a more soaring touch, before Flügel tragen mich hinfort begins with sampled screams of terror, establishing an ever more theatrical dimension with the enchanting cuts that punctuate this final track.
Eisenkult retains its unique atmosphere on Die Hölle ist hier, blending their Black Metal’s dark razor-sharp rage with much more surprising, even airy and soothing touches, making it quite lively and sometimes even impressive.
85/100